Is the sleeping giant about to wake-up? Why BYD could be bad news for Tesla, Toyota and Ford thanks to the plug-in hybrid 2025 BYD Shark 6 ute and Sealion 6 family SUV | Analysis

BYD is a relative minnow in the Australian car market. Yes, it’s had some modest success with its range of electric cars, but it’s still well-short of reaching the top 10 in sales and having a real impact on the market… or is it?

The Chinese brand is something of a sleeping giant, with BYD locked in a tight battle with Tesla for the title of the world's best-selling electric vehicle brand. But the ace up BYD’s sleeve is that it doesn’t just sell electric vehicles, with plug-in hybrids like the Sealion 6 SUV and Shark 6 ute seemingly arriving at just the right time.

Electric vehicle sales have cooled in 2024, the sky isn’t falling by any means, but the growth is not continuing at the previous rate as the market for Australians who are ready to make the switch shrinks. But there’s still a lot of people looking for more fuel-efficient vehicles, so the arrival of plug-in hybrids at a more affordable price point is timely for BYD.

The Sealion 6 is selling at a faster rate than BYD’s three electric models, so it appears buyers are embracing its plug-in hybrid technology. Which is good news as the Shark 6 ute uses a similar set-up.

There have been plenty of digital column inches written about the Shark 6 but few cars have quite the level of interest around them as this one. With a sharp price (from $57,900 plus on-road costs) and a ground-breaking powertrain, it has already attracted almost 4000 pre-orders, according to the company.

BYD is on course to nearly double its sales in 2024 thanks to the addition of the Sealion 6, and adding the Shark 6 has the potential to double them again in 2025. Even modest success in the ute market would be a massive boost for BYD’s performance overall in Australia. 

At the time of writing BYD is tracking at around 20,000 sales for ‘24 so, if the Sealion 6 continues its popularity and the Shark can even do respectable ute numbers (between 6000-10,000) then BYD could find itself knocking on the door of the top 10.

And that’s before it adds two more models, which is its publicly stated plan, with the Sealion 7 electric SUV and U8 large plug-in hybrid SUV tipped as the most likely newcomers.

BYD has enjoyed steady growth in the Australian market but there are signs that 2025 could be the year it really breaks out and becomes a mainstream player to snatch more sales from the likes of Toyota, Ford, Kia and the rest.