Forget the mini Toyota LandCruiser FJ: BYD's new compact hybrid four-wheel drive firms as cut-price alternative to the Nissan Patrol, Toyota Prado and Ford Everest

BYD is about to give Aussies what we want.

The Chinese brand is preparing to launch a rough-and-tumble plug-in hybrid four-wheel drive in Australia as a potential cut-price and fuel-sipping alternative to the Toyota Prado and rumoured mini LandCruiser FJ.

A photo published to a BYD owners group in Australia has shown the Fang Cheng Bao 5 testing Down Under, which forms part of the arsenal of BYD's off-road focused sub-brand.

The boxy 4WD was spotted wearing NSW plates, sporting heavy camouflage and a big “left-hand drive evaluation vehicle” sticker on the rear window. 

Despite the camo it is easy to make out the silhouette of the Fang Cheng Bao 5 underneath. EVDirect — BYD’s local distributor — boss David Smitherman revealed to Carsguide late last year the Bao 5 was on the company’s hit list.

“I've put my hand up for every vehicle that's in the range,” he told CarsGuide.

“And, of course… we're saying we want SUVs. We want utes in the marketplace, and we need to have larger 4WDs [like the Bao 5]. 

“[So] absolutely, yes… we have a multitude of vehicles coming, and we're pushing really hard because we know that's the way we grow the business [in Australia],” said Smitherman.

It now appears the Bao 5 is closer than we thought to hitting Aussie showrooms, but it is unlikely to be called the Fang Cheng Bao 5 locally.

A licence plate check with Service NSW showed the vehicle is called the Denza B5, which is what the Bao 5 will be called in the UK. It also revealed it weighs more than 2800kg, eclipsing even the heaviest diesel-powered 4WDs.

A trademark request for Denza B5 has been filed with IP Australia and is currently under examination.

The approval deadline is set for October this year, which might give an insight into the vehicle’s on sale date locally.

The Bao 5 is sold in China already. It measures 4.9 metres long, 1.97m wide and just over 1.9m high, and with a wheelbase of 2.8m, which makes it slightly smaller than the new Toyota Prado.

The Chinese Bao 5s use a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine as part of BYD’s DMO (Dual Mode Off-Road) Super Hybrid system. This is matched to a 31.8kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery and an electric motor on each axle.

Chinese-market models deliver a combined 500kW and 760Nm of torque, which is enough for a 0-100km/h claim of a lightning 4.8 seconds.

BYD claims it can drive up to 125km on electric power and has a combined petrol and electric range of up to 1200km — though this is not based on the more stringent WLTP test cycle.

It is likely it will be priced close to the recently launched BYD Shark 6 dual-cab plug-in hybrid ute, which starts at $57,900 (before on-road costs). That price will see it more than $10,000 more affordable the cheapest Toyota Prado and it is likely to come with a much higher level of standard equipment.

The Chinese behemoth’s rapidly expanding line-up is sure to put some of Australia’s favourite off-road brands such as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Ford and Isuzu on notice.

Toyota Australia’s Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, Sean Hanley, said the company has great respect for the wave of new challengers entering the Australian new car market.

“By all reports there could be a dozen new Chinese car companies arriving in Australia by the end of next year,” said Hanley.

“We take all competitors seriously and we respect them greatly, but we never, ever take anything for granted.”