{"id":1751,"date":"2026-07-16T20:43:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T20:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/?p=1751"},"modified":"2026-07-21T08:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T08:58:13","slug":"mzansi-gets-chinese-bakkie-with-porsche-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/?p=1751","title":{"rendered":"MZANSI GETS CHINESE BAKKIE WITH PORSCHE POWER"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n \n
\n \n
\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n\n
<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n
\n Rate this post<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

When I first spent time with the BYD Shark 6 <\/a><\/strong>earlier this year, it was clear the Chinese<\/strong> company had arrived in the double-cab<\/strong> bakkie segment with serious intent<\/strong>. That earlier drive left me impressed<\/strong> by the plug-in hybrid\u2019s<\/strong> everyday usability and the way it blended bakkie practicality<\/strong> with modern electrified refinement. So good is the Shark 6 that it was a Finalist<\/strong> at the 2026 South African Car of the Year<\/strong> competition, essentially making it one of the top 20 rated<\/strong> new cars in the country. Now BYD has upped the ante.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new Shark 6 Performance<\/strong>, launched this week, sits above the existing Premium version and brings a more potent 2.0-litre turbocharged<\/strong> DMO Super Hybrid system. Combined system output climbs to a thumping 350kW<\/strong> and boastful 700Nm<\/strong> of torque, more than enough to hustle the bakkie from 0 \u2013 100km\/h<\/strong> in a claimed 5.5 seconds<\/strong>. That makes it the most powerful bakkie<\/strong> one can buy \u201coff the shelf\u201d. In fact, it\u2019s just about as powerful<\/strong> as a current-generation Porsche 911 Targa 4S<\/strong>. More importantly for Mzansi buyers who actually work or play with their vehicles, braked towing<\/strong> capacity rises to a full 3 500kg<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 29.58kWh battery still delivers up to 80km<\/strong> of pure-electric range, while the combined WLTP figure<\/strong> reaches a claimed 640km<\/strong> when you start with a full tank<\/strong> and charged battery<\/strong>. Charging is practical: roughly four hours on a 7kW AC wallbox or about 35 minutes<\/strong> on a 55kW DC charger. Vehicle-to-Load<\/strong> (V2L) capability remains, so the load bin can power camping gear, tools or a fridge far from the nearest plug point. I have seen it power a whole DJ booth<\/strong> at an event for over three hours<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ride and capability get useful upgrades too. Crawl Mode<\/strong> takes care of low-speed throttle and braking on tricky surfaces<\/strong>, while 230mm of ground clearance and the dual-motor<\/strong> all-wheel-drive system keep the Shark 6 composed<\/strong> whether you\u2019re on a worksite, a sandy track or a family weekend away. Inside, the big 39.6cm touchscreen<\/strong> with Google Automotive Services<\/strong>, a cleaner column-mounted shifter and electrically adjustable seats<\/strong> maintain the premium feel that already set the Shark 6 apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Priced from R1 149 900<\/strong> and offered in four colours<\/strong>, the Performance model gives buyers who need more muscle<\/strong> and towing ability<\/strong> a clear step up without abandoning the efficiency<\/strong> and refinement that made the original Shark 6 interesting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I first spent time with the BYD Shark 6 earlier this year, it was clear the Chinese company had…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_regular_price":[],"currency_symbol":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[324,80],"tags":[325,436,649,437,650],"class_list":["post-1751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-byd","category-news","tag-byd","tag-byd-shark-6","tag-byd-shark-6-performance","tag-shark-6","tag-shark-6-performance"],"post_slider_layout_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/in4ride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IN4RIDE-BYD-Shark-6-6-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"post_slider_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/in4ride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IN4RIDE-BYD-Shark-6-6-1200x800.jpg",1200,800,true],"post_slider_layout_portrait_large":["https:\/\/in4ride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IN4RIDE-BYD-Shark-6-6-1200x1628.jpg",1200,1628,true],"post_slider_layout_square_large":["https:\/\/in4ride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IN4RIDE-BYD-Shark-6-6-1200x1200.jpg",1200,1200,true],"post_slider_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/in4ride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IN4RIDE-BYD-Shark-6-6-600x400.jpg",600,400,true],"post_slider_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/in4ride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IN4RIDE-BYD-Shark-6-6-600x900.jpg",600,900,true],"post_slider_layout_square":["https:\/\/in4ride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IN4RIDE-BYD-Shark-6-6-600x600.jpg",600,600,true],"full":["https:\/\/in4ride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IN4RIDE-BYD-Shark-6-6.jpg",1920,1628,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1751"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1754,"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1751\/revisions\/1754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in4ride.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}