Chinese electric car company BYD will officially introduce an electric pickup truck Shark on the world stage next week in Mexico. The Shark is BYD’s first electric pickup truck and the first time a new BYD model will be launched outside of China. According to a promotional poster released by the company, the global launch is specifically planned for May 14.

According to BYD, the global launch of the BYD Shark in Mexico ushers in a global era of new energy pickup trucks. The model is expected to target primarily overseas markets, highlighted by its strategic launch in Mexico. The presentation of the BYD pickup will take place after the brand launches several passenger cars. The regulatory regime governing the use of pickup trucks is very strict compared to traditional passenger vehicles in China.

BYD Shark is a mid-to-large sized model, larger than the popular Toyota Hilux. The model will be built on BYD’s previously announced BYD dual-mode offroad (DMO) platform. The DMO platform was introduced last year with BYD launching the Fang Cheng Bao series in August 2023. The EV pickup market is also growing in China, and Geely announced its Radar RD6 electric pickup as early as 2022. Radar RD6 continues. It remains on the market with good sales statistics since the first deliveries in November 2022. The RD6, designed for off-road use, was also introduced in Laos last November.

BYD has not yet released any pricing information for the BYD Shark EV pickup truck. The release date of the model is also unknown, but we expect better optics as the May 14 launch date approaches.