Is BYD brave or bonkers? Chinese brand says its first ute will be BETTER than the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger as it aims for "best in class" status

Chinese brand BYD might have taken Australia’s EV space by storm with models like the Atto 3 and incoming Dolphin and Seal, but it now has its eye set on our booming ute market, promising its incoming dual-cab will be a benchmark-setting vehicle.

That’s big promise, given the dominance of vehicles like the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max, but the brand says its ute will be “best in class”, and that it has employed plenty of Aussie know-how to ensure it outshines its rivals.

To do it, BYD has been working with an Australian engineering team to ensure HQ fully understands the requirements of Australia’s dual-cab market, similar to the way the new Ford Ranger was developed. That team, which the brand is yet to detail, is working hand-in-hand with BYD's Chinese engineers on the dual-cab program.

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“An Australian engineering team is working hand-in-hand with the BYD engineers to ensure that the product is not just Australian tough but that it’s best in class,” the CEO of local BYD importer/distributor EVDirect, Luke Todd, told CarsGuide.

“We know that’s going to be really well received when it comes to Australia,” he added.

The news comes as work continues on BYD's first-ever ute, which is now shaping as potentially one of the country’s most powerful dual-cabs, with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that produces a mammoth 500kW and 760Nm on the cards.

It pairs a tiny 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with twin electric motors, one at each axle, to deliver sizeable grunt, a 120km all-EV driving range, and up to 1200km in total driving range when both the fuel tank and battery are fuel. At least, that’s what is delivered by the brand’s new Toyota LandCruiser Prado, Nissan Patrol and Ford Everest-fighting Fang Cheng Bao 5, which gives us a solid - if still unconfirmed - idea of what's possible from the ute.

But BYD importer Mr Todd is on record as targeting a circa-100km EV range from the brand's ute, suggesting the powertrains - or, at least, the 31.4kWh battery - will be similar.

The ute is undergoing testing now, ahead of a 2024 launch date, so all will be revealed soon enough.