BYD might be interested in entering the pickup truck segment, according to unofficial media reports in China.
First, such a possibility was hinted at by local auto media Yiche, suggesting that a plug-in hybrid and all-electric pickups might be introduced as early as in 2023.
Today, we saw also a new report from local tech media Mydrivers (via CnEVPost), with an image of a camouflaged pickup truck vehicle, which supposedly is BYD‘s test prototype.
It’s not possible to verify this, but the pickup topic is linked in China to the recent announcement about a new brand, which will be launched by BYD in 2023.
BYD said only that it will be a brand “that specializes in professional and personalized identities, covering family cars and luxury cars.”
Nothing can be excluded at this point, especially since BYD is in an expansion mode and so far the company was not present in the pickup segment.
According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), it’s a noticeable segment in China with about 41,000 sales in a single month of October (including 15,697 Great Wall Motor, 6,217 SAIC Maxus and 4,187 JAC).
Earlier this month, Geely Group announced the launch of its first all-electric pickup truck – the Radar Auto RD6. It’s available in three battery versions: 63 kWh, 86 kWh and 100 kWh, which are expected to translate into CLTC range of respectively 400 km (249 miles), 550 km (342 miles) and 632 km (393 miles).
If Geely is entering the segment with a BEV, BYD potentially might be interested as well.
A side note is that Taiwan’s Foxconn and Lordstown Motors recently started production of the Lordstown Endurance electric pickups in the US. It’s not directly related, but maybe we are just seeing the first sign of a wider expansion of Asian manufacturers getting into pickups through electrification.
In any event, without establishing local production in North America, it would be difficult for Geely’s Radar or BYD to compete in the US pickup market.
