BYD Atto 3 launch will take place this festive season, it will compete with Hyundai Kona, MG ZS EV, and Tata Nexon EV Max
The world’s largest EV maker, BYD (Build Your Dreams), will launch its Atto 3 electric SUV in India this festive season. The launch has been preponed from 2023 and the Chinese maker will assemble the SUV at its Sriperumbudur facility near Chennai.
Unveiled in China earlier this year, the Atto 3 is an interesting proposition for India. Priced at around Rs. 25-30 lakhs in the international markets, the electric SUV will compete with Hyundai Kona, MG ZS EV, and, the latest, Tata Nexon EV Max in India.
It accelerates faster than the other 3 hitting the ton in 7.3 seconds which is the same time taken by the much more costlier Kia EV6 GT Line RWD model. Power comes from a lone PMS motor that puts out 204 HP and 310 Nm.
The EV comes with a choice of 2 battery packs – 49.92 kWh and 60.48 kWh which are not only bigger than the other 3 cars’ units but also take up higher power supply of 80 kW DC thereby fully charging in under an hour.
BYD claims a maximum range of up to 480 km. So, just a 1-hour lunch break on the way is enough to top-up the battery to 100 percent.
The Atto uses what BYD calls as ‘Blade Battery’ technology that makes the battery pack suitable for all kinds of road and weather conditions. Other than the DC fast charging option, the EV can also be charged from regular 3 pin household AC socket or a Type-2 AC charger.
The car gets LED headlamps, panoramic sunroof, 18-inch alloys, electric-assist front seats, digital instrument cluster, 12.8-inch rotating touchscreen, electric tail gate, and ambient lighting.
As far as safety features are concerned, the EV features 7 airbags, ESP, hill descent control, 360-degree camera, and a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
The car further sports radar-based ADAS features namely stop-and-go, fully adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, front and rear collision warning, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, and rear cross traffic braking.
BYD started its Indian innings in 2017 launching electric buses in the CV segment. Later, it extended its portfolio with the launch of the E6 EV in November 2021.
The company aims to sell at least 10,000 assembled cars in the next couple of years before opening a full-fledged local manufacturing facility. This also includes a wide range of models it’s planning to launch in the country in the coming months.
