BYD’s new pickup will be offered with both plug-in hybrid as well as a fully electric powertrain
In BYD’s home market China, there’s been a growing interest in pickup trucks. To cater to this segment, the company is readying a brand-new model. While initial focus will be China, BYD will consider overseas markets for the new pickup in the future. Potentially even major pickup truck markets like North America.
BYD new pickup features
Test mules of BYD new pickup have been spotted on road tests. As these appear to be production-ready, launch is expected by the end of this year. The new electric pickup will be part of BYD’s Ocean series. It could be launched under the F sub-brand. Even though patent drawings look like it has portal axles, production-spec test mules show much more conventional setup.
A quick glance reveals that the pickup has a design inspired by Ford F-150. This is especially true for the front fascia. Credit for the pickup’s eye-catching design goes to Wolfgang Egger, the current design chief at BYD. Egger was earlier with Audi Group, where he had worked as the head designer.
Features that immediately get one’s attention include the large BYD logo. It covers the entire front grill. A slim-themed font has been purposefully used to ensure that the BYD lettering seamlessly integrates with the surrounding design elements. The pickup has vertically stacked headlamps, integrated sleek LED DRLs and a rugged bumper.
Side profile has flared wheel arches, thick body cladding, sporty alloy wheels, largely flat door panels and roof rails. Rear profile has vertically positioned tail lamps, an LED strip and chunky bumper. While official specs have not been revealed, it is estimated that BYD’s new electric pickup will be around 5.3 meters long and 1.8 meters tall. At this length, the pickup will be around the same size as that of select variants of Ford F-150.
On the inside, BYD is expected to equip the new electric pickup with a comprehensive range of features. Some of the key highlights will be a large touchscreen, a fully digital instrument cluster and a single-pane sunroof. On the test mule, one can notice a Huawei head-up display. Users can expect a good amount of cabin space and decent utilities with the load bay.
BYD new electric pickup performance, range
Details about powertrain options for BYD’s new electric pickup are pretty scarce. Speculative reports talk about a 1.5-litre ICE engine, producing 139 hp of max power. Coupled with dual electric motors, the powertrain will have combined power output of 489 hp. As for range, BYD’s new electric pickup could offer 500 to 600 km on a full charge.
The pickup will be based on BYD’s DM-i platform. This has been specially designed for off-road vehicles. The pickup will be using BYD’s advanced Blade batteries with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) composition. These batteries not only offer higher range, but are also considered a lot safer. BYD Blade batteries have successfully passed various extreme tests including the nail penetration test.
