BYD Shark 6 touches down as SA's most powerful bakkie! Pricing and specifications

BYD has effectively doubled its model range in South Africa with the introduction of the highly-anticipated Shark 6 double cab bakkie as well as the Sealion 6 hybrid SUV and Sealion 7 electric SUV.

The BYD Shark 6 is the firm's first bakkie, and introduces its DMO Super Hybrid Off-road Platform.

Priced at R959,900, it is officially South Africa's most powerful bakkie. The EHS electric hybrid powertrain gives the predatory pick-up some serious bite, with outputs listed at 321kW and 650Nm. The Ford Ranger Raptor, for the record, musters 292kW and 583Nm.

The hybrid system pairs two electric motors with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine. It's rather quick too, with BYD claiming a 5.7-second 0-100km/h sprint time.

Thanks to a 29.5 kWh BYD Blade battery, the vehicle also boasts a WLTP range of 85km on electric power alone, according to claims. When the battery runs out of juice, owners can expect fuel consumption in the region of 9.6 litres per 100km, BYD says.

Standard features include power-adjustable and heated front seats, 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen, 12 speakers, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 360-degree camera and Head-Up Display.

Driver assist features come in the form of Adaptive Cruise Control, Front and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Detection and Lane Departure Prevention, among other items.

The BYD Shark 6 Premium is priced at R959,900.

Also launched on Thursday were the Sealion 6 and Sealion 7 SUV models.

The Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid is available in three variants, with the Comfort FWD priced at R639,900, Dynamic FWD at R689,900 and Premium AWD at R789,900.

The front-wheel drive (FWD) versions feature a 1.5-litre normally aspirated engine, pairing with an e-motor for maximum outputs of 160kW and 300Nm. The all-wheel drive (AWD) model features turbocharging and is good for 238kW and 550Nm.

According to claims, owners can expect an all electric range of 80km in the FWD and 70km in the AWD.

Finally, we have the BYD Sealion 7, which can be had in Premium RWD guise for R1,099,900 and Performance AWD guise at R1,299,900.

The rear-wheel-drive is good for 230kW and a 0-100km/h time of 6.7 seconds, while the all-wheel-driven variant pushes 390kW and does its deed in an impressive 4.5 seconds. 

Equipped with an 82.5 kWh BYD Blade battery, the Sealion 7 is said to be capable of covering up to 482km between charges on the WLTP cycle.