'They're in the works': From a true Toyota LandCruiser Prado rival to a rougher, tougher BYD Shark 6 dual-cab ute, the Chinese brand has detailed its BOLD product plans for Australia

Chinese brand BYD is plotting an SUV and ute-lead takeover of the Australian new-car market, with the carmaker's local executives promising ladder-frame SUVs and even a tougher Shark 6 ute as part of a broad product rollout.

BYD has made no secret of its ambitions in our market, labelling itself "Australia's brand" and promising to eventually outsell industry giant Toyota.

And now two of the brand's most senior executives in Australia have detailed how they'll do it, promising a vehicle in every segment, and an influx of SUVs that will take on everything from the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to the Ford Everest.

"Our goal is to double (sales) year on year," says David Smitherman, Chief Executive Officer at EVDirect, BYD's local importer.

"I'm pushing for more SUVs, large SUVs, seven-seat SUVs.

"The way we'll grow the brand here is simply through product. I'm happy to go on record to say, as a brand, we need to have product in every segment. And when we say every segment, literally it does mean every segment. We need to have vans, we need to have large SUVs, we're missing all of those.

"We need a vehicle in every category in Australia. What's exciting is that there is a lot of product depth in BYD that isn't in Australia. And so we're just knocking and making sure that we can get what we can get.

"So the message is very clear. We are pushing hard to get more depth in our product portfolio. But very focused on SUV and ute.

"From those two big segments, there will be a proliferation of products from BYD."

It's a thought echoed by EVDirect's Chairman, Luke Todd, who hinted that new variants of the BYD Shark 6 were expected. While a runaway sales success, some of the criticisms levelled at the brand's plug-in hybrid ute have been its 2.5-tonne towing capacity and its off-road capability.

"We've got a lot of things in our pipeline. The beauty of BYD globally is there are so many products that hit the Chinese market. We hand-select what we use for the country," Mr Todd says.

"We listen to our customers. And there is a desire to see a lower entry (for the Shark 6). And also to see a more premium vehicle.

"Going up another level is something we are looking at, but it's not imminent.

"There is a small segment of the market that want that real rugged off-road vehicle. And they're very vocal because that's what they want. They're so passionate, which we love. So we're looking at everything.

"But the reality is the Shark 6 that is on sale now is a product that's available in Australia. And there's no imminent plan for a top-end vehicle with a high towing rating. They're all in the works, but they're not imminent."

One product already confirmed by BYD is full-size pick-up, similar in size to the Ram 1500 or Toyota Tundra. Labelled in some quarters as the Shark 8, BYD has confirmed the product, though suggests it's some way off.

Also coming to Australia is the Denza B5 - or Fangchengbao Bao 5 - a plug-in hybrid SUV built on the Shark 6 platform, much like the Ford Everest is with the Ford Ranger.