Auto giant BYD officially launched its Shark pickup in Brazil at an event last weekend, the sixth model from the Chinese automaker in this critical market for its overseas expansion.
The rugged four-door Shark is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), offering an all-electric range of up to 100 kilometres and a combined range of over 840 kilometres. The battery helps deliver 429 combined horsepower – more than double its top competitors in the Brazilian market, the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Chevy S10. The much higher starting price of the Shark (US$66,700) compared to its competitors (around US$38,700) is offset in part by the inclusion of a solar-changing kit, portable changer and a full year of free insurance with pre-orders.
BYD sees an opportunity to overtake its gas and diesel-powered competitors among commercial customers and in the country’s booming agricultural sector. Henrique Antunes, the company’s commercial director in Brazil, told auto news website Electrek that adoption within the sector will influence other buyers who “often look to the agricultural sector.”
[See more: BYD’s SkyRail trains set off for Brazil]
Since opening pre-orders 3 October, the Shark has sold around 1,000 to 1,500 units – well ahead of the 600 pre-sales of its previous vehicle model, the compact crossover SUV Yuan Pro. Antunes expects annual sales of the Shark between 10,000 and 15,000 units, which would make it one of Brazil’s top five mid-size pickups.
Such an increase will help BYD maintain its incredible growth in the South American nation, where it saw sales surge 700 percent in the first nine months of 2024. The company currently ranks tenth in auto sales in Brazil and expects to break into the top 5 by 2027. “BYD didn’t arrive in Brazil to be a supporting actor,” Antunes said.
Much of this future growth will be driven not by imports, which now face rising tariffs, but local manufacturing at a three-factory plant in Bahia. The former Ford plant, which closed in 2021, is now being expanded and overhauled to support production of hybrid and electric vehicles. The company expects to start assembling vehicles at Bahia in December, following a total investment of 5.5 billion reais (US$970.4 million).
