With pricing announced and a new, three-model line-up locked in, the BYD Shark 6 is in a position to continue its already strong growth in the Australian new car market. Shark 6 was the first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) dual-cab to enter the Australian market, and the range now comprises three separate models.

The regular dual-cab remains, called Premium ($57,900), while the range opens with the Dynamic Cab-Chassis ($55,900) and is topped out by the Performance ($62,900). Those prices exclude on-road costs.

While the top of the range Performance, which brings 350kW/700Nm outputs and a 3500kg braked towing capacity to the range, it’s the cab-chassis that provides the most scope for expansion to the range. If there’s demand for a dual-cab, cab-chassis, why not a single cab? Or a more rugged off-road variant to compete with the likes of 70-Series LandCruiser, Ford Ranger Super Duty? That’s the theory, at least.

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“I think there’s are always opportunities,” Stephen Collins told WhichCar by Wheels. “I think that the ute market and Ranger and HiLux have proven that, from performance models, right down to specific fleet and even mining-spec vehicles and everything in between. So there’s absolutely opportunity.”

The key for Shark 6 – and any further variants within the range – is the success of the model in Australia and the fact that local research and development is taken seriously back at head office in China. It’s something the export success of the model in this country has given BYD Australia, that it might not otherwise have had.

“We’ve got a sort of direct link into our R and D facility, so we’re looking at more options and we think there’s more scope,” Collins told WhichCar. “I think a lot of it is local engineering, local input. We have a close relationship with Iron Man, and we have for some time, but local engineering is, and local engineers and local testing is just, you know, it’s a proven formula. So, you know, that’s an area of our business we’re growing.”

Chief Product Office Sajid Hasan also agreed that the dual-cab segment is currently untapped in regard to what BYD could possibly do, given the time to develop the right products for the Australian market.

“Those are actually things that we’re actively studying,” Hasan said. “We can’t just develop everything at one go and it’s only been 14 months since we launched the model altogether. So this is kind of like the first branching out. And yes, we could go more fleet-focused derivatives and more private market focused derivatives. And we’re actually evaluating both sides.”

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The fleet market is fertile ground for any manufacturer with a dual-cab in the sales mix. With a target of 20 per cent sales into fleets, BYD is already at 18 per cent. Two new variants of the Shark 6 should ensure that numbers climbs further.

“We’ll have more to talk about this in the future and there’s nothing to announce today, but you’re open to these opportunities,” Hasan said. “We know… that there is a lot of opportunity. This segment is crucially important to Australia and to our brand, Shark is just so important for us.”

With sales approaching 25,000 in short order from launch, BYD Australia is the strongest market for Shark 6 and, perhaps even more impressively, has been achieved by a company that hadn’t even built a dual-cab before this model launched. As such, BYD Australia’s feedback and input is taken seriously back at HQ.

“It’s not only given us strong sales volumes, but a lot of brand recognition and experience as a company to develop models for Australia,” Hasan said. “It’s a challenge and an opportunity, and we need to scale up our operations and our network as well as our model portfolio in tandem.”