March 16, 2026 – On March 15 local time, as reported by Carscoops, Ford CEO Jim Farley recently took two Chinese plug – in hybrid pickup trucks for a spin in Australia: the BYD Shark 6 and the Great Wall Cannon Alpha.
Farley was quite candid in his assessment of these models. He didn’t dismiss their competitiveness, stating, “I spent three days driving the Land Cruiser LC70, the Shark, and Great Wall’s offerings. They are completely different types of vehicles.”
Regarding the BYD Shark, Farley noted that while it looks like a traditional pickup truck on the outside, its performance when it comes to actual pickup – related tasks is different. “The Shark is a pickup, but if you load 500 kg of cargo in the bed, it’s not a Ranger, nor is it a Hilux,” he said.
Farley explained that the Shark is more suitable for users who like the pickup truck style but don’t frequently carry heavy loads or tow heavy equipment. “If users don’t have heavy – duty use every day and want to go electric, this is a very competitive product,” he added.
However, there was still one thing that puzzled Farley. Ford’s engineering team had disassembled the BYD pickup for study. Farley joked, “After we took it apart, we still don’t know how they make money.”
Farley also had a go at driving the Great Wall Pao. He believed that this vehicle was also a strong contender in this market segment. Nevertheless, he pointed out that Ford and Toyota still held significant advantages as these companies had accumulated decades of experience in the work – oriented pickup truck field. “They haven’t been doing it for decades like the Ranger or the Hilux. They lack the complete chassis technology accumulation and experience in towing and load – bearing,” Farley said.
Farley was honest in admitting that the market was changing rapidly. Chinese brands were actively entering the global mid – size pickup truck market, which had long been one of the most stable sources of profit in the automotive industry.
