BYD adds four new models to its local line-up
Chinese challenger set to launch Australia’s cheapest EVs, and a pair of plug-in SUVs
By carsales.com.au
BYD is building its own ‘dream’ line-up in Australia.
The Chinese brand, which stands for Build Your Dreams, has announced a rapid expansion to its portfolio with confirmation of four new models arriving in local showrooms over the next couple of months.
The first pair to launch next month will be the Atto 1 small hatch and Atto 2 compact SUV, which will be followed by the Sealion 5 and 8 – two plug-in hybrid SUVs.
The Atto 1 will become Australia’s most affordable electric vehicle with prices starting from just $23,990 plus on-roads for the entry-level Essential variant and $27,990 [plus on-roads for the higher-grade Premium.
The key difference between the two is the size of their battery packs, with the Essential featuring a 30kWh lithium iron phosphate battery that provides around 300km of driving range while the Premium has a larger 43.2kWh unit that extends the range to beyond 400km.
Both are powered by a 55kW single electric motor that drives the front wheels.
The Atto 2 predictably ups the ante in every respect with a more powerful 130kW/290Nm e-motor and a bigger 51.1kWh Blade battery with a range of up to 345km.
It will be offered in two variants; the entry-level Dynamic that costs from $31,990 plus on-roads and the higher-grade Premium that costs from $35,990 plus on-roads.
Switching to the plug-in hybrids, the Sealion 5 will sit between the existing Atto 3 and Sealion 6 in terms of size and could be in with a shout of becoming Australia’s cheapest PHEV.
It combines a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (74kW) with a 120kW e-motor, a continuously variable transmission and one of two Blade battery options – 12.9kWh (75km EV range) or 18.3kWh (115km EV range) – for a combined fuel consumption of between 1.1L and 1.9L/100km.
The bigger Sealion 8 meantime can be had with front- or all-wheel-drive, the latter offering quite a bit more performance.
Chinese specifications confirm a 110kW/220Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine, a 200kW/315Nm e-motor and 19kWh battery pack for the former and an additional 141kW/360Nm motor on the rear axle for the latter, plus a bigger 35.6kWh battery.
The all-paw ‘DM-p’ system generates combined maximum outputs of 341kW/675Nm, and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 4.9 seconds.
Both the new Atto models will arrive in local showrooms next month before the Sealions come ashore early next year.
“The ATTO 1 will be Australia’s most affordable EV by some margin, opening the door for even more Australians to get behind the wheel of their own new energy vehicle,” BYD Australia COO Stephen Collins said.
“With our growing mix of PHEVs and pure EVs, what it proves is that BYD is committed to providing Australian consumers with choice in starting – or continuing – their new energy automotive journeys.”
Disclaimer: Images supplied by carsales.