All-electric BYD Atto 3 launched from RM150k

Sime Darby Motors, the automotive arm of Sime Darby Bhd and newly appointed and exclusive distributor of BYD vehicles in Malaysia, has officially brought the Atto 3 electric vehicle (EV) to Malaysian shores. 

The compact EV sports utility vehicle (SUV) from China comes in two variants starting with the Standard Range (kerb: 1,680kg) that’s been priced on-the-road at RM149,800 while the Extended Range (kerb: 1,750kg) goes for RM167,800.

Accompanying this EV is a six-year or 150,000km warranty as well as a dedicated eight-year or 160,000km warranty for the battery and another eight-year or 150,000km warranty for the electric motor, controller, DC assembly and electric control assembly.

Colour choices include Surf Blue, Forest Green, Parkour Red, Boulder Grey and Ski White while the interior takes on an Eclipse Blue and Hazy Grey combination. 

In terms of size, the Atto 3 measures in at 4,455mm-long, 1,875mm-wide and 1,615mm-tall while having a wheelbase of 2,720mm and a ride height of 175mm from its MacPherson strut (front) and Multi-link (rear) suspension setup.

As standard, the Atto 3 has a boot capacity of 440 litres (expandable to 1,340 litres) and its 49.92kWh (60.48kWh) BYD Blade Battery is touted to provide over 1.2mil kilometres even after 3,000 charge/discharge cycles. 

The battery powers up a permanent magnet synchronous motor for the front wheels which is able to deliver 203hp and 310Nm of torque to accord it a 0 to 100kph sprint time of 7.3 seconds before reaching a top speed of 160kph.

While rolling on 17-inch (18-inch) wheels wrapped with 215/60 (215/55) series tyres which obscure the ventilated (front) and solid (rear) disc brakes that come with a regenerative braking system.

Range is said to be 410km (480km) based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), so expect about a 20% decrease in reality.

The battery of the entry-level Standard Range variant can be charged up with a 70kW CCS 2 DC charging port while the Extended Range uses a similar 80kW port instead. 

Externally, the Atto 3 comes equipped with a powered tailgate (Extended Range variant only), panoramic sunroof, roof rails, powered external mirrors with folding function and follow Me Home Lighting as well as LEDs for its front adaptive automatic headlights and rear light clusters.

Inside, the cabin features man-made synthetic leather upholstery for the front seats and rear 60:40-split) bench.

Although the front seats are both power adjustable, the driver gets six-way power adjustability while the front passenger will need to make do with just a four-way system.

For comfort, convenience and…some colour, the interior comes standard with keyless entry with push-start button, a portable card key, one-touch power windows with anti-pinch, automatic dual-zone climate controls, CN95 air filter, PM 2.5 air filter (Extended Range variant) and a full-colour stand-alone 5.0-inch digital instrument display for the driver as well as access to USB Type-C and USB A ports for the front and rear occupants.

Entertainment comes from a large 12.8-inch rotating (panoramic/portrait view) touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity, voice assistant (English), Satelite Navigation and Music Steaming for the six-speaker sound system. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will only be made available sometime in the second quarter of 2023.

In terms of safety, the Atto 3 has been awarded a full five-star crash test rating by the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) and both variants have been equipped with seven airbags, anti-lock braking system, electronic stability programme, traction control, electronic brakeforce distribution, hill descent control, electric parking brake system, tyre pressure monitoring system, 360-degree birds-eye view camera system and an auto-hold system.

More advanced systems such as adaptive cruise control with stop-go functionality, front collision warning and automatic emergency braking system have also been included.

Presently, the Atto 3 – with its fully-imported (CBU) offerings, will need to contest with the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the recently-launched GWM Ora Good Cat (Haomao).

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