Chinese carmakers are setting foot in North America despite the recently announced tariffs, with BYD already launching a mid-size pickup truck. The BYD Shark is about to be unveiled on Tuesday at 10:30 AM CST, but its most important details are already live on BYD's Mexican website.
Although there aren't many Chinese-made EVs sold in the US right now, the situation is set to change soon. The Biden Administration just announced 100% tariffs on vehicles imported from China, although these will not help much if the cars are made in North America. BYD is the Chinese carmaker that already plans a factory in Mexico, threatening American carmakers with affordable and arguably better vehicles than what Detroit Three currently produces.
Case in point: the new BYD Shark pickup truck, a Ford Ranger rival that is set to launch in Mexico on Tuesday morning. BYD's first-ever pickup is based on the company's DMO platform, where DM stands for Dual Mode (hybrid) and O stands for off-road. As you guessed, this is not a fully electric pickup truck but a plug-in hybrid model. The 30-kWh battery pack offers an electric range of 100 km (62 miles) according to the old and inaccurate European standard NEDC. This means that you can realistically expect about 40 miles of range in real life.
When the combustion engine starts spinning, the overall fuel consumption is 7.5 liter per 100 km or, in American units, about 31 mpg. This means the combined range reaches 840 km (522 miles), an impressive value if it wasn't for the flawed NEDC standard. Power is sent to the wheels by two motors, with the one in front producing 228 horsepower while the rear motor delivers an additional 201 horsepower. That's enough to propel the BYD Shark from 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 5.7 seconds, with the top speed limited to 160 kph (100 mph). The setup suggests the combustion engine acts as a range-extender, but we'll have to wait until the full reveal to confirm it.
The BYD Shark has a glass cockpit dominated by a huge 12.8-inch center display. Another 10.25 LCD screen serves as a digital instrument cluster. On top of all that, the Chinese pickup truck has a 12-inch head-up display. Of course, it is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, offering a convenient way to integrate your smartphone with the infotainment system.
The fact that BYD chose Mexico for the Shark's global debut sends a strong message to American carmakers. BYD could've selected Thailand as the launch location, considering it's the most important pickup truck market outside North America. However, the Chinese carmaker is clearly targeting the US market and will likely plan for local production in Mexico to circumvent the 100% tariffs.
Considering the many restrictions pickup trucks face in China, it's unlikely that the BYD Shark will launch there. That's because pickups are considered light trucks instead of passenger vehicles and have speed limits that make them impractical to own as a family vehicle.
After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions. Full profile
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