BYD Shark vs HiLux WorkMate

The ultra dependable Hilux, still beats the BYD Shark, in 5 practical aspects. First, is the towing capacity, that is 1 ton higher than the Shark. Plus, it does not de-activate the Cruise Control while towing a trailer, like the Shark does. It also has, around three hundred kilo higher payload, than the Shark. As a pure work truck, it is definitely better than the Shark. The only problem is that it is ridiculously expensive. The bare-basic, workmate, will mooch over fifty four thousand Aussie dollars, out of your pocket. Agreed, that it is five grand cheaper than the Shark. But the Shark is not going to gulp any petrol on most days. It is simply going to run on electricity, from your home charger. Over an entire year, you will consume less than a thousand dollars of electricity. Whereas the Hilux is known to burn, two thousand dollars worth of diesel in a year. That's a saving of thousand dollars per year, in favor of the Shark. But as we all know, the biggest cost of owning a pick-up, is always the depreciation. And this is where the Hilux is unbeatable. Even 5 years down the line, the Hilux will easily sell for 40 grand. Now, nobody knows what the Shark will sell for, so its better to take a conservative guess, of 25 thousand dollars. And that is provided, the current Sharks on sale, run reliably, without any system failures, as well as great service support across the country. Both are highly improbable, given that the Shark is a brand new product, so there's bound to be some teething troubles. And today, BYD has less than thirty service stations in Australia, whereas Toyota has 300. Last but not the least, is the cost of battery replacement. Plug-in hybrid batteries, go through more frequent charging and discharging cycles, than pure EVs. The battery replacement risk, faced by a 5 year old Shark buyer, is quite serious. That is why cars with batteries, tend to lose their residual value, rapidly. The other reason is rapid pace of development of electrified vehicles. If there's a cheaper and better alternative to the Shark, getting launched in the market every year, by 2030, we might have a brand new, 40 thousand dollar truck, with twice the range as the Shark, brand new. Then, why would anyone pay more than twenty thousand, for this old Shark? At the end of the day, you need to decide, whether you want to experience the superior performance and features of the Shark, even if you end-up spending much more than a Hilux, or not.   

 

HiLux WorkMate Features:

*Active Cruise Control (high speed)

Rear Camera

8-inch Touchscreen Infotainment + 2 Speakers

Android Auto & Apple CarPlay (wired)

7 Airbags

4.2-inch Colour TFT in Instrument Cluster

Tailgate Lift Assist and Damper