BYD’s Shark 6 ute to go on sale in China under Fang Cheng Bao brand
Words: Richard Edwards
BYD’s Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute, built in China for export and sold in New Zealand since early 2025, is to go on sale in its home market for the first time under BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao brand.
Fang Cheng Bao general manager Xiong Tianbo released official images this week with the caption “The king returns from overseas!” The Chinese-market version is called simply the Shark and wears Fang Cheng Bao’s badge in place of BYD’s. No launch date or pricing has been given.
Filings with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology describe the domestic version. It uses the same dual-motor plug-in hybrid layout as the export Shark 6 we reviewed here. The filing lists a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine producing 135kW, a front motor of 170kW peak and a rear motor of 150kW peak for all-wheel drive, and a lithium iron phosphate battery from BYD’s FinDreams division.
The filing gives the same 5,457mm length and 3,260mm wheelbase as the New Zealand Shark 6, with a kerb weight of 2,710kg and a gross vehicle mass of 3,495kg, just under the 3.5-tonne threshold. That leaves a rated payload of 460kg, against 790kg for the New Zealand Shark 6 Premium and 730kg for the Shark 6 Performance. Specifications for export markets may differ.
The Shark 6 made its global debut in Mexico in May 2024 and is sold in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. CarNewsChina reports that export volumes fell 25.76% year on year in the first half of 2026 to 20,037, and that Australia accounted for around 85% of the ute’s sales in June.
In New Zealand the Shark 6 starts at $70,990, with the Performance model at $76,990, and was the fourth best-selling ute here in August with 93 registrations. We ran a Shark 6 Premium as a long-term test vehicle last year. Fang Cheng Bao’s own models are also heading this way, with the Ti 7 confirmed for New Zealand in 2027.
