BYD confirms new ute in development for Australian and New Zealand buyers, with details still under wraps

Confirmation of a new ute, but few details

BYD has confirmed it is developing a new ute built specifically for Australian and New Zealand buyers, though the company is not yet ready to reveal the model's name, specifications or launch timing. The news was first reported by The Canberra Times, with coverage aggregated by Ground News noting that BYD is working on a new ute for the Australian market but has not disclosed what it will be called or when it will arrive. ¹

Reporting on the announcement also makes clear that one candidate has been eliminated: the Mako, a ute developed by BYD for South American markets, has been ruled out for New Zealand, and the reporting indicates it is too early to identify the new model or its exact market plans. No powertrain, body style or pricing information has been confirmed at this stage. ¹

What BYD has and has not ruled out in New Zealand

While the identity of the new ute remains open, DRIVEN Car Guide has reported on BYD's wider ute pipeline in New Zealand, where the plug-in hybrid Shark 6 has already shaken up a traditionally diesel-dominated segment. DRIVEN Car Guide reports that a more powerful 2.0-litre Shark 6 variant is coming, with a strong possibility of a smaller, Hilux-sized Shark 5 and a larger, American pickup-sized Shark 8 in 2027. ³

BYD New Zealand general manager Warren Willmot told DRIVEN Car Guide that the Shark 5, if confirmed, would be a ladder-chassis based pickup very close in dimensions to the Toyota Hilux, with single and space cab options under consideration alongside a double cab. He said the Shark 8 would be a full-size pickup aimed at rivals such as the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500, expected to use a 2.0-litre petrol engine and four electric motors. ³

DRIVEN Car Guide also reports that BYD New Zealand has turned down the offer of the smaller Shark 3, a ute developed for the South American market. That model is based on BYD's DM-i platform — shared with the Sealion 5 and 6 and the Seal 6 Touring — and targets the same market as smaller car-based utes such as the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, which are not offered in New Zealand. ³

The more powerful Shark 6 variant coming first

Before any new model arrives, DRIVEN Car Guide reports that a more powerful 2.0-litre variant of the Shark 6 — likely to be called the Shark 7 — is definitely on its way to New Zealand, boasting 350kW and 700Nm, an increase of 30kW and 50Nm over the current Shark 6. Its braked towing capacity rises from the Shark 6's 2500kg to the full segment standard of 3500kg. ³

According to Willmot, speaking to DRIVEN Car Guide, the higher-powered model carries a theoretical gross vehicle mass of 3700kg, which would have moved it out of New Zealand's light vehicle classification. BYD sought an exemption from NZTA to run it at 3700kg while still classified as a light vehicle, avoiding Certificate of Fitness requirements, speed limiting and special tow bar regulations, but the exemption was refused. Willmot told DRIVEN Car Guide the rules date from the 1950s and described the process as red tape. ³

As a result, DRIVEN Car Guide reports the Shark 7 will be classified and treated as a light vehicle like other one-tonne double cabs, with the 3500kg braked towing maximum. Willmot said it would gain additional software to enhance off-road performance and minor interior changes including a column gear selector, and will also be offered in the cab chassis variant recently added to the Shark 6 line-up, which saves the labour of removing the wellside for flat deck and service body installations. A factory-supplied flat deck is expected to be available shortly. ³

One ownership condition that DRIVEN Car Guide says applies to the confirmed model: thanks to the sizeable 3500kg gross vehicle mass carried over from the existing Shark 6, customers intending to tow more than two and a half tonnes combined will require a Class 2 driver's licence. Willmot says the company will be warning buyers of this requirement. ³

The Australian sales backdrop

Any new ute would land in a market where BYD is expanding aggressively. Chasing Cars reported that BYD Australia and New Zealand chief operating officer Stephen Collins told the publication that the brand would be disappointed if it were not somewhere around the top three in Australian sales by 2026, having predicted 55,000 sales in 2025 for eighth position — up from 20,458 sales and 16th place in 2024. ²

Chasing Cars reported that Collins flagged a product offensive spanning late 2025 and early 2026, led by the Atto 1 hatch and including the Atto 2 small electric SUV, Sealion 5 mid-size plug-in hybrid and three-row Sealion 8 PHEV, alongside an expanding dealer footprint. He told the publication BYD wanted to keep that trajectory going, with the premium Denza brand launching separately from November 2025 with the B5 and B8 large plug-in hybrid SUVs. ²

What is confirmed and what remains unknown

On the evidence of the announcement reporting, the only confirmed element of the new ute program is its existence and its intended markets: Australia and New Zealand. The model's name, platform, powertrain, body configurations, specifications, pricing and launch timing are all undisclosed, and reporting on the announcement states it is too early to identify the new model or its exact market plans. ¹

The broader pipeline context adds useful but qualified expectations rather than confirmations: DRIVEN Car Guide reports the Shark 5 and Shark 8 are strong possibilities for New Zealand in 2027 rather than locked in, while the more powerful Shark 7 variant is described as definitely on its way. Buyers in both countries will need to wait for BYD to detail the new ute as development progresses. ³