How many BYD Shark bakkies are sold in South Africa every month
The BYD Shark bakkie has been on the market in South Africa for over a year, but its sales figures have remained a mystery, until now.
The Chinese carmaker BYD (Build Your Dreams) made its local debut 2023 and has gradually built up a diverse selection of vehicles, ranging from hatchbacks to crossovers, SUVs, a sedan, and a bakkie.
However, the brand’s performance in South Africa was kept under wraps for roughly three years, as it did not report its monthly sales figures to Naamsa.
This changed in April 2026 when BYD finally published its sales figures for the month prior.
The brand is evidently doing quite well, considering it exclusively sells hybrid and electric vehicles, as it sold 589 units in March 2026.
It did even better in April, selling a total of 701 units. This puts it ahead of established badges like Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Mazda, Honda, and Volvo.
What’s more, BYD has revealed the sales stats for its individual models, giving motorists a sense of how popular its cars are relative to their competitors.
In the case of the Shark, a plug-in hybrid double-cab pickup, we now know that it sold 94 units in March, and 108 units in April, according to Naamsa data compiled by Cars.co.za.
To put that in perspective, these were the sales numbers for every bakkie sold in South Africa in April 2026:
- Toyota Hilux – 2,955 units
- Ford Ranger – 2,013 units
- Isuzu D-Max – 1,045 units
- GWM P-Series – 588 units
- Mahindra Pik Up – 563 units
- Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 451 units
- VW Amarok – 399 units
- Nissan Navara – 315 units
- JAC T-Series – 270 units
- Foton Tunland – 205 units
- Peugeot Landtrek – 138 units
- BYD Shark 6 – 108 units
- Mahindra Bolero – 72 units
- Mitsubishi Triton – 41 units
- Kia Tasman – 31 units
- Changan Hunter – 24 units
- GWM Steed – 2 units
- Jeep Gladiator – 1 units
The 108 units sold is fairly impressive when you consider that the Shark is one of the most expensive bakkies in South Africa.
Many of the list’s top-performers, such as the Hilux, Ranger, D-Max, and Pik Up, feature basic single-cab models for commercial buyers, which make up a significant portion of their total sales.
In contrast, the BYD is sold in a single double-cab body style with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain and all-wheel drive, which costs R989,900.
South Africa’s only plug-in hybrid bakkie
The Shark is a unique offering in South Africa because of its PHEV drivetrain.
It is not the only hybrid bakkie, mind you, as GWM sells an HEV version of the P500, and Changan recently introduced the range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) Hunter. However, neither of these is the same type of powerplant used in the BYD.
It features a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which is assisted by two electric motors with a 29.59kWh battery.
This gives the pickup an incredible output of 321kW and 650Nm – even more than the Ford Ranger Raptor.
However, the main advantage of this setup is that the Shark can travel on just the battery, potentially saving users thousands of rands on petrol every month.
The battery has an all-electric range of 85km, which may not sound like much, but is enough for most owners to complete their daily routine without dipping into the fuel tank.
Because of this, BYD claims the Shark has an average fuel consumption of just 2.0l/100km, though this obviously assumes you make extensive use of the electric mode.
Even putting aside the hybrid system, the Shark being a petrol bakkie is still an advantage given recent events, as diesel has skyrocketed to over R32 per litre in the wake of the Iran war.
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