BYD South Africa has not yet confirmed whether the upgraded Shark will be offered locally.
BYD has revised the Shark range in Australia to include a new 2.0-litre Performance variant. Picture: BYD Australia.
Having clocked up sales of 21 000 units since debuting last year, BYD’s Australian division has revised the Shark range to include a new Performance derivative.
More bite
Arriving next month with a price tag of $62 000, which directly converts to R717 326 without any added taxes, the Shark Performance combines the existing 29.5-kWh battery pack and dual electric motors, with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 180 kW.
The result is a combined output of 350kW/700Nm, which represents an increase of 29kW/50Nm over the 1.5..
According to BYD Australia, the 0-100 km/h dash now takes 5.5 seconds, down from 5.7 seconds.
Now able to Crawl
Still able to tow 3 500 kg, the bigger engine means an uptick in weight, with documents seen by drive.com.au claiming a mass of 2 738 kg versus the 1.5’s 2 675 kg.
The resulting gain means payload drops from 825 kg to 762 kg.
Doing without a low-range transfer case or locking differentials, the Performance does, however, receive a Shark first Crawl mode that limits speed to 20 km/h.
Nothing yet for us
Down Under, the arrival of the Performance will see it slot in above the existing 1.5-litre engine Premium priced at $57 900 (R669 506), and the workhorse chassis cab Dynamic listed at $55 900 (R646 380).
As it stands, BYD South Africa has not yet mentioned introducing the 2.0-litre Shark as a replacement or step-up to the 1.5.
Last month, the brand reported its sales figures to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) for the first time.
Of the 589 units it sold, the Shark accounted for 94, making it BYD South Africa’s third best-seller after the Sealion 6 (130) and Dolphin Surf (239).
Officially, the fastest bakkie ever tested by The Citizen, with a 0-100 km/h time of 5.6 seconds, the Shark now retails for R969 900.
As such, the arrival of the 2.0-litre will see it eclipse the R1-million mark, regardless of whether it replaces or slots in above the 1.5.
However, as indicated, no confirmation of its arrival has been received so far.
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