The BYD (EV) Thread

New BYD Shark revealed: will this 320 kW bakkie come to SA?

The new BYD Shark has been revealed as the Chinese brand’s very first bakkie. So, is this electrified (320 kW!) contender on the cards for South Africa?

Meet the new BYD Shark, the Chinese brand’s first stab at a traditional (well, sort of) bakkie. At launch, the new pick-up employs a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain as standard, offering a combined peak power output as lofty as 320 kW.

So, what are the chances of this fresh-faced bakkie coming to South Africa to take on the segment’s strongest sellers, including the locally built Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger (the latter of which will also soon go the PHEV route)? Well, considering the brand already has a small presence in our market, with the seldom-spotted Atto 3 and the recently arrived Dolphin electric cars, we certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see the Shark, er, swim on over to Mzansi.

In addition, it’s worth noting that the Chinese new-energy automaker applied to register the “BYD Shark” trademark in South Africa at the end of January 2024, though this filing is currently still listed as “pending”. Furthermore, the newcomer is poised to launch in Australia towards the end of 2024, which means right-hand-drive production is already very much locked in.

Anyway, what do we know about the BYD Shark? Interestingly, from what we can tell, the new bakkie employs a ladder-frame platform and independent suspension at each corner (rather than traditional leaf springs at the rear), with the battery pack integrated into the architecture.

Power comes from a turbocharged 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine combined with a plug-in hybrid system featuring a 29.6 kWh battery pack and a rear-mounted electric motor. Peak system outputs stand at 320 kW (170 kW and 310 Nm from the petrol engine, and 150 kW and 340 Nm from the electric motor), while 3 terrain modes are on offer, along with a “virtual” differential lock.

As a result, BYD claims the new Shark can complete the obligatory 0-100 kph sprint in 5.7 seconds, before topping out at 160 kph. According to the Chinese firm, the lithium-iron phosphate battery pack offers an all-electric NEDC range of up to 100 km, which pushes the combined range to a claimed 840 km. BYD says the battery’s state of charge will move from 30 to 80% in approximately 20 minutes when using a 55 kW DC fast charger.

 
The BYD Shark is a new plug-in hybrid pickup for the Mexican market

Shark costs the equivalent of £42k and boasts 62 miles of all-electric range and a 0-62mph time of just 5.7 seconds

BYD has just unveiled its plug-in hybrid Shark pickup truck for the Mexican market, and it boasts some seriously impressive stats. Unfortunately, we already resent it because it's got that Baby Shark song stuck in our heads again.

Anyway, now that we've offloaded that annoyance onto you, let’s kick off with the technical details. The Shark gets a 1.5-litre turbocharged combustion engine that's paired with two electric motors (one on each axle) for a total of 435bhp. There's a maximum towing capacity of 2.5 tonnes, a 0-62mph time of 5.7 seconds and an all-electric range of 62 miles from a 29.58kWh battery.

Step back for a second and you’d be forgiven for thinking that BYD's designers had been copying Ford's homework, such are the similarities between this and an F-150, but we're told that this truck is meant to take after the ‘agility’ of the marine kingdom's most terrifying resident.

Still, like an actual shark BYD’s pickup does at least have size on its side. The brand claims it has the largest body size of any vehicle in its class: 5,457mm in length and 1,925mm in height, meaning it fits in between the Ranger and F-150 nicely. Don't expect it to go on sale in the US any time soon, though. Will we get it in the UK? That's probably equally as unlikely.

 

BYD Reportedly Sees 10th Showroom Fire Since 2021 As Store Burns Down In China - Carscoops​

BYD blames old wiring in the store's roof for the fire, but reports indicate that its showrooms catch fire pretty frequently

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A massive fire broke out overnight at a BYD showroom on May 16, leaving little more than the bare framing of the building, the skeletons of a handful of vehicles, and soot. Fortunately, no one was killed in the blaze.

Videos shared online show large clouds of smoke billowing in the skies above the showroom, giving the entire surrounding area an orange hue as the flames reflected off the rising plumes. In the background, loud bangs and pops can be heard.

The fire started at 12:32 a.m. in Qingkou in Fujian Province, and seven fire trucks were dispatched to the scene, report HK01.

Eyewitnesses say the flames were too intense for firefighters to approach when they first arrived, but the blaze had more or less been extinguished by 1:18 a.m.

According to a report from NTDTV, this is the 10th fire at one of the automaker’s stores since October 2021, excluding factory incidents.

The report also references a few fire incidents involving flatbed trucks transporting New Energy Vehicle models from BYD, including one in April 2024 and another on May 1, 2024.

We have contacted BYD regarding these previous fires and will update this story upon receiving their response.
  • In October 2021, a fire broke out in a BYD 4S store in Hainan.
  • In April 2022, a fire broke out in a BYD 4S store in Shaoguan, Guangdong.
  • In May 2022, a fire broke out in the after-sales workshop of a BYD 4S store in Hengshui, Hebei Province.
  • On July 9, 2022, a fire broke out in a BYD 4S store in Xingning District, Nanning City, Guangxi.
  • On November 18, 2022, a fire broke out in BYD’s Phase 3 F6 factory building in Daya Bay West District.
  • On December 8, 2022, a BYD 4S store caught fire near Gongye Road in Erqi District, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province.
  • On June 1, 2023, a fire broke out in the material area of Workshop No. 1 at BYD’s Pangguan production base.
  • In May 2023, a fire broke out in a BYD 4S store in Jiangmen, Guangdong.
  • In December 2023, a fire broke out in a BYD 4S store in Tiexi District, Shenyang, Liaoning.
  • On December 18, 2023, a fire broke out in the BYD 4S store in Xinmaoyuan, Chengdu, Sichuan.
  • On December 30, 2023, a fire broke out in the exhibition hall of a BYD 4S store in Changhua, Binzhou, Shandong.
Click to expand...
www.carscoops.com

BYD Reportedly Sees 10th Showroom Fire Since 2021 As Store Burns Down In China | Carscoops

BYD blames old wiring in the store's roof for the fire, but reports indicate that its showrooms catch fire pretty frequently
www.carscoops.com www.carscoops.com
 

BYD Showroom Burns to the Ground After One Electric Car Bursts Into Flames - autorevolution​

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Although Li-ion batteries are generally safe, there are occasions when thermal runaways cause a fire. This usually happens when a problem with the battery cells leads to overheating.

The Chevrolet Bolt EV owners probably discovered this after several cars burst into flames, prompting one of history's largest recalls involving electric vehicles. Other brands, including Tesla, have had their fair share of battery fires, but EV fires are still very rare.

However, one car brand recorded more EV fires than others, at least judging by the number of fire reports over the past years. I'm talking about BYD, Tesla's main rival, partner, and one of the biggest Li-ion battery manufacturers.

Many such fires happened in 2021 and 2022, and the carmaker appeared to have solved its quality problems in the past years.

However, another fire erupted on Thursday in a BYD showroom in Fuzhou, the capital of the Chinese province Fujian.

According to the Fuzhou Fire Department, the fire started from an electric vehicle parked inside the showroom.

A video shared on Chinese social media showed a massive fire engulfing the showroom. Fortunately, nobody was injured during the incident, although 29 firefighters with seven fire trucks fought the blaze for almost an hour.

Judging by a video showing the charred remains of the showroom, the fight was unsuccessful. The entire showroom building was burnt to the ground, together with the vehicles inside.
Click to expand...

www.autoevolution.com

BYD Showroom Burns to the Ground After One Electric Car Bursts Into Flames

Electric vehicles have gained unwarranted fame for being prone to fires, but in the case of BYD EVs, this might actually be accurate
www.autoevolution.com www.autoevolution.com
 
Yoh we have Byd Sharks, Cheetas and Dophins.

Now we just need the Byd Dragon Warrior and Byd Furious 5, and Byd Blue Bulls (in super pink) to complete the set.
 
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