The Chinese automaker BYD (Build Your Dreams) announces a 700-mile range PHEV that will be built in Mexico, this year.
CarBuzz on the Shark
Please consider BYD Provides First Look At Shark Pickup Truck Ahead Of Imminent Debut
Chinese automaker BYD (Build Your Dreams) has unveiled the first official images of the Shark, an electrified truck that will be sold globally. Without camouflage, we finally get to see the truck in all its glory. Three teaser images show us a lot of the styling, which appears to have taken inspiration from several Western pickup trucks.
For a start, the headlights appear very similar to those found on the Ford F-150 Lightning, while the rear end shares a resemblance with the first-generation Volkswagen Amarok. A lightbar, which stretches across the tailgate, links the rear lights with each other.
The interior remains a mystery, but we shouldn’t have to wait much longer, as a reveal is expected on May 14. BYD hasn’t revealed much information regarding the Shark but describes its off-roading abilities as “robust” and notes that it will boast DMO technology. This Dual Mode Off-road Super Hybrid technology enables superior range and impressive performance. First applied to the Fangchengbao Bao 5 SUV, the architecture uses Cell to Chassis (CTC) technology. This integrates the battery pack into the chassis, reducing weight and improving vehicle safety.
The Shark will adopt a hybrid setup (presumably plug-in) better suited to a workhorse. While electric trucks are good to drive and efficient, their range remains a hindrance, particularly when venturing into remote areas or towing a heavy load.
A combined range of around 745 miles is expected, although this was likely calculated on the optimistic CLTC cycle. BYD has no plans to enter the American market, but we’d expect lower EPA estimates if it did. When it arrives, it will rival the Ford Ranger PHEV and the upcoming Gladiator 4XE, which Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa confirmed is coming in 2025.
The Shark
Why Mexico?
EqualOcean reports BYD’s First New Energy Pickup Truck Officially Announced to Debut in Mexico on May 14th
From the outside, SHARK has a square front end with a large BYD logo and a large silver cross-country style bumper design; it is equipped with exterior devices such as rear wraparound footrests and roof racks, which make it easy for users to get in and out of the cargo box while also expanding cargo loading capacity; and it has a higher utility and functional value, emphasizing its cross-country application position.
In terms of power, the BYD SHARK will most likely be available in both plug-in hybrid and electric versions, and it is built on the DMO Super Hybrid Off-Road platform, which is supposedly compatible with engines of two different displacements: 1.5T and 2.0T.
One of the reasons BYD Auto chose Mexico as the SHARK’s launch destination is because the company regards the Mexican market in its global strategic plan. According to the Mexican Statistics Institute and the Mexican Association of Automobile Distribution Enterprises, Chinese automobiles such as BYD and JAC will account for 19.5% of the Mexican market in 2023, with sales of 129,329,000 units, a 63% increase over the previous year. Mexico’s local new energy automotive sector is weak; the proportion of local brands is low; at the same time, the market is dominated by fuel vehicles; the new energy vehicle market share is limited; and new energy vehicles have the potential to bend the road to overtake.
Furthermore, Mexico has long been the world’s seventh-largest car producer; the domestic auto parts industry’s supporting services are complete; the industry chain is more complete; and there is a big number of automotive industry producers in the country. At the same time, Mexico announced a number of policies to stimulate new energy transformation, including the implementation of applicable tram favourable policies and subsidies. Since 2022, Tesla, Ford, Nissan, and other automakers have announced the construction (or expansion) of Mexican facilities. General Motors and other automakers are also intending to adapt their production lines to accommodate the production of electric vehicles. Overall, the Mexican vehicle consumer market and manufacturing capacity have considerable upside and an optimistic future.
BYD Auto’s move is intended not only to service the Mexican market, but also to shape the North American market and establish a pioneering point of strategic consideration.
Meanwhile, Back In the States
Meanwhile, back in the states we wasted years developing fully electric EVs that no one seems to want.
When it finally arrives, the rival the Ford Ranger PHEV is expected to have an electric driving range of just 28 miles. The European launch is slated for 2025.
A Ford spokesperson confirmed to CarBuzz that “The Ranger PHEV is for Europe, Australia and New Zealand. For customers in North America looking for a hybrid or electric truck, we currently offer Maverick Hybrid, F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid and F-150 Lightning.”
Ford Loses $36,000 on Each EV, Cuts Production of Electric Trucks
On January 20, I commented Ford Loses $36,000 on Each EV, Cuts Production of Electric Trucks
Ford will shut down one of two production shifts in April at the Dearborn, Michigan, factory that builds the F-150 Lightning electric pickup. The move is part of “matching F-150 Lightning production to customer demand,” the company said Friday.
General Motors recently made a similar announcement about its Chevrolet Silverado EV, announcing it would postpone adding production facilities for the truck, which went into production last spring for corporate customers.
Losing $36,000 per EV sounds like a lot, but it’s actually quite the bargain, because on April 26, I noted …
Good News: Ford Loses $132,000 on Each EV Produced
The good news was Ford sales were down 20 percent holding the losses to $1.3 billion.
And despite $2 Billion in Subsidies, Only 2 EV Stations Opened, the Holdup is Social Justice
In yet another example of Biden incompetence, the administration is setting up rules making it harder to deliver EV charging stations.
Elon Musk Fires 10 Percent of Tesla Workforce
On April 15, I noted Elon Musk Fires 10 Percent of Tesla Workforce, Prepares for “Next Phase of Growth”
In preparation for more growth, Musk issues a memo announcing an workforce cut of 10 percent and two top Tesla (TSLA) executives resign.
One does not prepare for growth by firing staff, pausing construction of the giga semi factory, and repeating the same hollow lies every year since 2016.
Picking Winners
If Team Biden was not so hell bent on picking winners and insisting on fully electric vehicles, might I suggest we would be much further along with our climate and mileage mandates?
Meanwhile, Back in Mexico
Back in Mexico, Tesla, Ford, Nissan, and other automakers have announced the construction or expansion of facilities.
And here’s the final irony Biden Wants EVs so Badly That He Will Quadruple Tariffs on Them
Despite everyone rushing to Mexico to build the cars and Trucks that we need to reduce fossil fuel consumption, Biden is going to quadruple taxes on them.
As a result, US consumers will overpay so much, that few people will want them despite huge subsidies. This is why you lose $132,000 on each EV.