BYD Atto 3 to be sold in Japan early 2023 from RM142k; 22 stores by Jan 2023, more than 100 by 2025

As previously reported, the BYD Atto 3 will be sold in Japan beginning January 2023, followed by the Dolphin in mid-2023 and the Seal by the end of the next year.

It’s now revealed that only one variant of the Atto 3 EV will be available in the Land of the Rising Sun, priced from 4.4 million yen (RM142k). The asking price is far less than the EVs currently available in Japan including the Nissan Ariya and Tesla Model 3 which are priced above five million yen (RM161k).

The Atto 3 produces 150 kW (204 PS) and 310 Nm from a front-mounted electric motor. It draws power from a 58.56 kWh battery offering 485 km of electric range based on the WLTC cycle. The Atto 3 will feature the full suite of advanced driver assistance systems, Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) systems.

Sold by BYD Auto Japan, the company also announced plans to build a sales network of more than 100 stores throughout Japan by the end of 2025. By the end of January 2023, the company plans to have 22 stores in operation. While BYD’s presence in the passenger car segment will soon be felt, this isn’t the brand’s first foray into the Japanese automotive market as it holds a 70% market share in the local commercial electric bus segment.

In its home country, BYD was China’s top-selling car brand last month, beating Volkswagen. It was also announced recently that the company has sold one million new energy vehicles (NEV) in the last six months alone. As of last year, BYD was the third largest EV producer, behind Tesla and the Volkswagen Group.

In Malaysia, BYD SD Motors, official distributors of BYD vehicles in Malaysia has launched the Atto 3 priced from RM149,800 for the Standard Range with a 49.94 kWh battery and RM167,800 for the Extended Range with a 60.48 kWh battery. Both SR and ER variants produce 204 PS and 310 Nm of torque for a 0-100 km/h time of 7.3 seconds.

Supporting up to 80 kW DC fast charging, 0-80% state of charge (SoC) will take 45 minutes. The Atto 3 is covered by a six-year/150,000 km factory warranty while the Blade EV batteries come with an eight-year/160,000 km warranty. A seperate eight-year/150,000 km warranty covers the drive unit including the motor, motor controller, DC and electic control assembly.