Electric cars are starting to take a bigger hold of the overall car market with recent data indicating 8% of all new vehicle sales in Australia was a a full battery electric EV. What doesnāt make up a big part of these uptake figures are electric utes.
Electric utes are hitting the roads in the US, with the Rivian and the soon to be released Cybertruck, and in Australia the focus has been on conversions and the release of a Chinese model, LDV, although Toyota has showcased its Hilux (city-focused) electric concept in recent months.
One company that may be about to change that is BYD, and leaked imaged have emerged that showcase its own electric ute that, according to reports from CNC, should be released soon by the end of the year.
A patent of the BYD electric pickup truck reveals that the proposed electric ute has a large BYD badge on the front. This is in contrast to the very popular BYD Atto 3 electric SUV, which has much smaller badging.Ā
The upcoming ute has been spotted multiple times in recent months while undertaking on-road and off-road testing in China.Ā
Back in April, BYDās electric ute was spotted in various stages of testing and had a heavy camouflage making the truck look just like its patent.Ā
From certain angles, it reminds us of the Ford Ranger while from other angles it hints of the Dodge RAM four-door truck.
BYDās electric ute will compete with Fordās F-150 Lightning, Geelyās Radar RD6, and the Dongfeng Rich 6 EV. More locally, the BYD ute will compete with the LDV eT60Ā which was released in late 2022.
BYD continues to release more models and dominates its electric vehicle expansion. BYD has sold 151,193 fully electric vehicles hitting another record in September.
This is on the back of BYDās recent global expansion in markets like Australia. Other markets where the company has done quite well in are Thailand, Brazil and various European countries.
With other models looking set for launch in Australia in the coming months, itās likely that the BYD ute could be one that makes its way to our local market in 2024.
Recently released data from Toyota showcased that the brand sold around 64,000 utes in Australia, making it one of the top-seller vehicles in the market. That is on top of the tens of thousands Ford Rangers that were sold in 2022.
Further details on the BYD electric ute are likely to be released by the end of the year.
RizĀ is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.