BYD ute spied testing in China

Images of what look to be a camouflaged BYD ute which will likely be powered by a fully electric powertrain have recently appeared online.

Earlier this year, BYD announced that it would be launching a new premium brand with rumours suggesting the new ute could be its first model according to CarNewsChina.

While much is still left to the imagination at this stage, its clear the ute will come in dual-cab form with what looks to be a separate rear bed.

There’s also a chance the electric ute could make its way to our shores in the future as hinted at by BYD New Zealand Manager Warren Willmot.

“BYD Auto New Zealand plans to have a vehicle for every market segment by the end of 2025,” Willmot said.

“Our plan to help decarbonise NZ’s vehicle fleet includes providing BEV and DM-i Super Plug-in Hybrid models across all passenger and light commercial vehicle segments.”

When released, the BYD ute will be a direct rival to Geely’s newly launched Radar RD6 which retails for approximately $NZ41,174 (RMB 178,800). However, there’s no indication that model will be sold outside of China.

We may be given a better glimpse of the new ute in the coming months as BYD’s premium brand is set to launch in the first quarter of 2023.