BYD To Have Stronger Presence In India With New Atto 3 Electric SUV

• BYD will showcase a dedicated EV platform and future plans at Auto Expo. 

• New Atto 3 EV to arrive sometime during the festive season. 

• Powered by a new Blade battery, with a claimed range of 410-480km. 

• EVs will initially be locally assembled, with production to be considered in 2023. 

Chinese carmaker and global electric vehicle (EV) giant, BYD, will soon enter the mainstream passenger car market in India. Although the carmaker already exists in India, its sole offering, the E6 electric people mover, isn’t available for non-commercial use. 

BYD to reveal its future plans at Auto Expo 2023 

The carmaker intends to expand its operations and sales in the country and has a long-term plan that will be revealed at the next Auto Expo in January. 

Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, the Senior Vice President of BYD’s Electric Passenger Vehicle Business, says, “We are getting significant traction for our vehicles in India from corporate customers, we want to expand further into the personal buyer's space with our SUVs.”

BYD will also showcase its dedicated EV platform and advanced battery tech at the Expo. “We are planning to showcase our vehicle architecture and battery technology at the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo, with a long-term vision of participating in the growing EV business in India.” 

The company initially plans to sell 10,000 EVs that will be imported as complete knock-down kits (CKDs) and will be locally assembled. Later in 2023, BYD will explore the option of locally manufacturing its electric vehicles. 

New BYD Atto 3 SUV coming soon 

The first BYD EV that you’ll be able to get as a private car buyer is the Atto 3. It’ll be a Hyundai Kona Electric and MG ZS EV rival, but at 4.45 metres long, it’s a size larger than both the compact electric SUVs. 

The Atto 3 is based on BYD’s e-platform 3.0, powered by the carmaker’s cutting-edge Blade battery packs in two sizes – Standard Range and Extended Range. The standard Atto 3 offers a decent 410km of claimed range, while the extended range variant gets a claimed 480km range from a full charge. Both variants get 200PS front-wheel drive powertrains; and with a mere 60kg difference in weight, they both claim identical 0-100kmph time of 7.3 seconds. 

The Atto 3 SUV is less conventionally designed on the inside, with a rotating 12.8-inch infotainment display and slot machine-like air vents. Other features include a panoramic sunroof, seven airbags and ADAS tech such as lane departure warning, auto emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. 

Also read: 

• BYD e6 Electric MPV Launched In India At Rs 29.15 Lakh

It should be priced at around Rs 25 lakh for the standard range variant.