The BYD Shark 6 may be Australia’s first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute, but the technology-packed dual-cab can’t do what most of its competitors can.
Shortly after Australian deliveries of the Shark 6 began, owners took to online forums to note their inability to use cruise control while towing with the PHEV ute.
Though it was initially unclear whether this was a fault or by design, a spokesperson for BYD’s Australian distributor EVDirect has confirmed the feature is unsupported at the moment.
“Currently, the BYD Shark 6 does not support cruise control while towing,” the spokesperson told CarExpert.
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“However, like all our vehicles, we continuously enhance features through Over-The-Air (OTA) updates. Your feedback plays a crucial role in shaping these improvements.”
CarExpert discovered the Shark 6’s lack of cruise control during towing while filming for our review, however, the vehicle used was a pre-production example.
It’s understood every new ute – and almost every vehicle – currently sold in Australia can use cruise control while towing, even if it isn’t recommended to do so.
While cruise control can still maintain a set speed when you’re towing, it can’t predict the effects of the additional mass being pulled by your vehicle, which could lead to the vehicle excessively slowing down during uphill driving through lost momentum, or not braking early enough when descending.
The Shark 6 has a braked towing capacity of 2500kg – down on the 3500kg figure of most of its rivals, including the upcoming Ford Ranger PHEV.
Deliveries of the Shark 6 began earlier this month, though its distributor said industrial action which took place at a number of Australian ports earlier this month could lead to shipping delays for customers waiting for their utes.
EVDirect says it’ll take six to eight weeks to take delivery after ordering, and confirmed it had taken more than 5500 orders for the Shark 6 prior to deliveries commencing.
MORE: Everything BYD Shark 6