xBYD Shark 6 vs. Kia Tasman: A Big Day for Ute Enthusiasts

Tuesday night was huge for ute fans when two major announcements dropped within an hour: BYD revealed local pricing for its much-anticipated Shark 6, and Kia officially unveiled the Tasman. But while both generated a lot of buzz, the numbers showed a clear winner in our readers' eyes.

Within 24 hours of publishing, the BYD Shark 6 edged out the Tasman in page views, with 100 views of the Shark 6 article for every 86 on the Tasman. Add in the frenzy on BYD’s own website—crashing due to a rush of orders—and it’s clear the Shark 6 made an impact. BYD received 800 orders just minutes after opening at 7:30 pm AEDT, with orders reaching 1400 within 12 hours and topping 2000 in the first 24 hours.

Kia Tasman Drives Engagement

While the Shark 6 may have won in sheer views, Kia’s Tasman stole the spotlight in terms of engagement. Our Tasman reveal article saw 85% more commenters and twice as many comments as our Shark 6 coverage. Readers seemed to have strong opinions on the Tasman, which recorded 100 comment engagements for every 69 on the Shark 6, likely spurred by the Tasman’s bold design.

Competing Ute Announcements

The high-stakes timing didn’t go unnoticed. Other brands took the opportunity to vie for attention: Toyota announced a partnership with BHP to test an electric HiLux, and Ford revealed where Australians can see the Ranger PHEV up close. Whether coincidence or strategy, the timing of Kia and BYD’s launches raised questions about a competitive air-time grab or a shared attempt to benefit from combined hype.

Year-to-Date: BYD’s Edge

Looking at 2024 so far, it’s the Shark 6 that’s pulled ahead with readers, despite Kia’s major promotional efforts since March. Although we’ve published 27% fewer articles on the Shark 6 than on the Tasman, the Shark 6 has received double the page views and double the average views per article. Google search trends confirm this: for every 100 searches of the Shark 6 in Australia, the Tasman saw 72.

On YouTube, however, the Tasman took a slight lead, with nearly double the total views on CarExpert content. But with five Tasman videos published versus three on the Shark 6, BYD’s ute remains highly competitive, with 93 views for every 100 on the Tasman in average video views.

What’s Next?

Both the BYD Shark 6 and Kia Tasman have captured Australian ute fans’ interest in unique ways, and we’re just getting started. Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage as we continue following these highly anticipated utes.