Truck-loving Filipinos might love the all-new BYD Shark

Chinese carmaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) has unveiled the Shark hybrid pickup truck for the first time. The mid-size BYD truck model debuted half the world away in Mexico, but, this new truck has plenty of characteristics truck-loving Pinoys might like. 

BYD Shark

Design-wise, it is as impactful and as macho as locally available pickup trucks like the Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara, Isuzu D-Max, among others. It gets an assertive front end equipped with a beefy bumper, chunk square-shaped fender flares, and a dual-cab body style. 

Like other locally available trucks nowadays, it likewise sports a comfortable-looking cabin with plenty of amenities such as a 12.8-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster, leather-clad surfaces, and automatic air-conditioning. This is par for the course with locally available models within the segment, which have continuously sought to balance utility and comfort. 

The Shark hybrid pick-up truck from the rear

Of course, the Shark's unique feature is its hybrid powertrain, which consists of a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, a 30 kWh battery pack, and an electric motor mounted on its rear axle. At most, it can generate a combined output of 428 horsepower and 648 Nm of torque. It also has an electric-only range of 100 km.

The EV-only range is attractive for those who want to reduce their emissions while saving on fuel costs. However, the Shark's indicated output figures make it significantly more powerful than the peppiest mid-size pickup trucks in the local market. 

For reference, the Philippine-spec Ford Ranger Raptor can produce 207 hp and 500 Nm of torque. The Toyota GR Hilux, meanwhile, can produce 221 hp and 550 Nm of torque. 

Like most modern trucks, the Shark gets a plush and well-appointed cabin

Also, with assistance from an electric motor, the BYD Shark gets a brisk zero to 100 km/h time of just 5.7 seconds. Like other mid-size trucks in the market, it also has a ton of payload capacity.

For now, BYD Cars Philippines is yet to say if it plans to bring the Shark to the local market. But suffice it to say, this hybrid truck is quite promising performance-wise. 

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