BYD in Australia is set to take a razor to the price of its first ute, with the brand's local importer promising the plug-in hybrid dual-cab will be priced to "blow everyone out of the water".
That's the word from EVDirect's Luke Todd, who told CarsGuide the incoming ute will be a "game-breaker" in terms of affordability and luxury.
"It is a game-breaker. We've proven with the Atto 3, the Dolphin and the Seal, we can come in at price points that nobody was expecting," Mr Todd said.
"We have no intent other than doing that with every product we bring to Australia. We want to set new benchmarks for what affordable luxury is.
"I can't give you pricing on the ute, but expect to see that we are always going to be extremely price competitive.
"(There are) three models that we've blown everyone out of the water with their price points, and we're working really hard to make sure that that happens with the ute as well."
The news follows confirmation that BYD has partnered with former Ford and Holden engineers to make its ute fit-for-purpose in Australia, bringing Commodore- and Falcon-based ute knowledge to the table,
"Our team of engineers, they've come from a background of designing some of the best utes in Australia," Mr Todd says.
"We've got a wonderful team that have been working hand-in-hand with the BYD design team, and I can tell you every effort has been put in to make sure it has got the maximum off-road capability, while... it drives like a sports car. When you get it on road it does what you want it to do."
We know already that legacy is of no concern to the Chinese juggernaut, with Mr Todd saying that, while he respects rivals in the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, he doesn't fear them.
"(HiLux and Ranger) have been around for a long time. We respect them, but we don't fear them," he says.
Mr Todd has also confirmed the brand's first ute will be equipped with a petrol-electric powertrain, with a full-electric model to follow around 12 months later.
First, though, will be a plug-in hybrid ute that can travel 100kms in pure electric mode, or around a 1000kms when the petrol tank and battery are combined.
"For Australia, in my opinion, I'm so happy that we ended up bringing this one first and not the pure electric, which will come probably a year or so later.
"It is the best of both worlds – 100kms range on pure electric, and then switch over to the dual-motor technology. So we're going to have a vehicle of circa-1000kms, if not more range, but when you're driving around the city you'll be fully electric."
It remains unclear if the future BYD ute will be able to match its aforementioned rivals when it comes to key ute characteristics like towing capacity and payload.
The payload of the 4x4 dual-cab HiLux for example is up to one tonne, and the towing capacity is 3500kg, depending on the grade.
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