The new entrant will be South Africa’s most powerful and fastest bakkie but is expected to be substantially cheaper than its Toyota and Ford rivals. Queue the Jaws music.
Chinese automotive giant BYD is launching a new plug-in hybrid electric bakkie in South Africa that could prove to be a massive disruptor to Toyota and Ford’s dominance in this segment.
That gives it a combined 320kW of output and 650Nm torque, making the Shark capable of accelerating from a standstill to 100km/h in a blistering 5.8 seconds. For reference, the Golf GTI 2.0-litre TSI achieves the same in 6.4 seconds. This could be particularly advantageous to bakkie owners who frequently camp in bushveld areas without electricity or work in deeply rural areas where they might need to use tools like grinders, electric saws, and drills.
While that price point may seem a bit ambitious, it is in line with pricing in other right-hand drive markets with similar tastes in bakkies as South Africa.Another BYD model already sold in South Africa — the fully-electric Dolphin hatchback — is priced at R539,990 compared with A$38,890 in Australia.
All of the current Shark models have 4×4 and an automatic gearbox as standard, the company does not offer cheaper single-cab, two-wheel drive, or manual models.
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