BYD names its 1st pickup truck model BYD Shark

BYD's first new energy pickup truck is officially named BYD Shark, built on the DMO super hybrid off-road platform, the new energy vehicle (NEV) maker announced on Weibo.

The Cybertruck rival will be sold globally, the company said.

The NEV maker annouced the DMO platform when it unveiled the Fang Cheng Bao sub-brand on Aug 16, 2023, where O stands for off-road and DM for dual mode.

BYD's Weibo doesn't mention much more, with its poster showing "BYD Shark with DMO technology coming soon."

Earlier this month, CnEVPost obtained several spy shots of the BYD pickup truck wrapped in camouflage, showing some of its details.

The pickup is positioned as a mid-size model, out-sizing the Toyota Hilux, according to a person familiar with the matter.

In China, pickup trucks are categorized as light trucks and are subject to many restrictions compared to regular passenger car models, including sedans, SUVs and MPVs.

This could be one of the reasons why BYD is only considering a pickup truck after launching dozens of passenger cars, and why the model will be built for the global market.

Among the local automakers, Geely officially announced the Radar brand on Jul 12, 2022 along with its first model, the RD6 electric pickup truck. The model went on sale in China in Oct 2022, with first deliveries in late Nov 2022.

Radar has not done much marketing for the RD6 in China and seems to be focusing its efforts on international markets, having launched the RD6 in Laos last Nov.