SANY branches out into utes

Chinese heavy equipment brand, SANY, has been manufacturing machinery such as excavators, trucks, wheel loaders and forklifts for over 30 years but if recently leaked patent images in China are anything to go by, it seems the company also has its sights set on the electric ute market.

As the designs show, the yet unnamed ute looks set to be offered in both single-cab, dual-cab body styles, as well as a hard-core tough-truck configuration.

The initial design concept shows plenty of futuristic flair, with an almost brutally angular motif that Tesla Cybertruck fans will dig. There’s a big, bluff front fascia topped by ultra-slim horizontal LED headlights, vertical DRLs, LED fog lights, LED driving lights on the roof and even an illuminated SANY badge.

The rear-end has similarly audacious LED accoutrements, with regular tail-lights joined by full-length LED light bars above the rear window and in the tailgate.

Viewed from the side, the Chinese electric ute has fairly conventional proportions, save for the rear sail plane which integrates into the sides of the tray.

There are no details on dimensions, but the electric SANY ute has plenty of ground clearance and what appear to be reasonably chunky all-terrain tyres, suggesting it will be able to get in and out of challenging off-road scenarios.

A tough-truck version of China’s answer to the Tesla Cybertruck has also been outed, shown in an orange colour and with pumped wheel-arches and a different front-end design incorporating recovery hooks and a bash plate. The rear has a tow bar and the entire roofline appears sleeker and sportier.

Powertrain details have not been announced (or leaked) but SANY has a large arsenal of electric powertrains to choose from, including a whopping 270kW/1150Nm e-motor set-up and lithium-ion battery packs ranging up to 423kWh.

It’s more than likely the new ute will be similar in size to the top-selling utes in Australia – Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger – and it could join a cohort of disruptive Chinese auto brands that are jockeying to deliver affordable EVs and hybrids to Aussie buyers.

Brands like BYD, Ora and Chery will have electrified vehicles in Oz this year, joining the likes of MG and Haval, which already offer EV and/or hybrid models.

Then there are Chinese newcomers like Nio and Lynk & Co confirming they’ll launch in Australia in the near future, with more brands set to follow.

Since 2020, SANY has been working with Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer, CATL, to 'electrify' its machines including its concrete machinery, mining machinery, cranes, port machinery, excavators and heavy trucks, so its latest venture perhaps came as no surprise.

SANY currently has more than a dozen dealerships in Australia and this incursion into the mainstream light commercial vehicle sector could provide another option for buyers keen on alternate fuel sources.

Whether SANY and its new electric ute will be part of the growing list of affordable EVs coming here from China remains to be seen, but as more Chinese brands view Australia as a test market for right-hand drive vehicles and further global market expansion, it’s not inconceivable that a vehicle such as this could arrive in Australia before full-size US electric pick-ups like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Tesla Cybertruck.