Fleet sector to grow BYD Shark 6 sales

THE sales success of the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid dual-cab ute, with a single variant achieving more than 24,000 Australian deliveries in just over 14 months, has provided the Chinese brand with confidence that it will conquer new audiences – especially fleets – as two new variants arrive in local showrooms.

Having created its own micro-segment, and won buyers away from stalwart, diesel-powered marques, the Shark 6 Premium is now joined by the high-output Performance and commercial-focused Dynamic (cab-chassis).

Monthly sales volumes of at least 1500 Shark 6 units are anticipated, with the Performance making up a quarter, the Dynamic cab-chassis 20 per cent, and the remainder going to the already-popular Premium.

Speaking with GoAuto at the Australian launch of the BYD Shark 6 Performance and Dynamic in Melbourne last week, BYD Australia and New Zealand chief operating officer Stephen Collins said interest from the fleet segment was expected to grow Shark 6 sales by an additional 20 per cent.

“Fleet sales are increasingly important to growing our share. Fleets are about 35 per cent of the market in 2025, but it was only 10 per cent of our sales mix. It was nowhere,” he said.

“We have since invested heavily into fleet … and our target for 2026 is to raise that figure to around 20 per cent of the sales mix.

“As of April, we’re at 18 per cent, so we are well on our way.”

Mr Collins said fleet volume would continue to play an important role in BYD sales, suggesting that models beyond the Shark 6 were part of its future strategy.

“This (fleet sales) is a big part of our future strategy. We’ve already got orders for the Shark 6 cab-chassis and more in the pipeline. We’re attracting a whole host of fleet customers that never imagined buying a BYD or an EV or PHEV,” he added.

“Interest has been very strong. We have had a lot of businesses ask us for the cab-chassis, and a number of them have been involved in the product progression that has helped to bring it to market.

“Our fleet department has been working hard, and we’ve got several hundred orders already, and I would suggest thousands more in the pipeline. So, we do expect it (the cab-chassis) to be a very strong part of the mix – and one that provides an excellent solution to business and trade buyers.”

While Mr Collins said there was little demand for other body styles in the Shark 6 range, he did suggest that a Performance cab-chassis is within the realm of possibility.

“The single-cab market is really small, so we can probably rule out a single-cab. The vast majority of interest is in the dual-cab,” he said.

“But, in looking at other variants – and we’re constantly looking at other variants – we could, if we get demand for it, consider a Performance cab-chassis.

“The variants that are here today are definitely not the end of the Shark 6 story, and we will have some other options in the not-too-distant future.”

As a still-growing brand, Mr Collins said it was imperative BYD remained cognisant of buyer expectations and that it remained flexible to changing demands.

He said the company has ambitions for further growth, and that the Shark 6 PHEV dual-cab ute would continue to play a starring role in those aspirations.

“We are still a growing brand, and we have ambitions to grow further, but what’s really important for us is that we’re building a brand for the long term,” he declared.

“While the sales ladder is important, our success is also measured in how we represent ourselves to customers, fleet customers, retail customers, and the job we do in both the back- and front-end – that is a major point for us going forward.”

On the Shark 6, Mr Collins said even he was impressed by how quickly the model had become an Australian success.

“The Shark 6 has been an amazing success story for this brand. Since it was introduced in February last year, we have sold over 24,000 units, and it has really transformed the ute market,” he enthused.

“It created the PHEV ute market, and it holds about 70 per cent of that market share … and we think the introduction of the Performance and cab-chassis (Dynamic) variants will add incremental volume.”

In hard numbers, Mr Collins said the additional variants will match monthly sales with previous Shark 6 peaks, estimating that 1500 units per month will pass through BYD dealerships across the country.

“We are looking to get back to at least 1500 units per month, and we see the mix selling about 55 per cent Premium, 25 per cent Performance, and 20 per cent cab-chassis,” he concluded.