The New BYD Atto 3 Wants To Dethrone Tesla

BYD unveils the third generation of the Atto 3. The newcomer is growing visibly and moving upmarket. Its technique changes the most, with the arrival of Flash Charging allowing a complete charge in 9 minutes.

The industrial strength of Chinese manufacturers is impressive to say the least. While Tesla struggles to release new models, BYD is already presenting the third generation of the Atto 3. This differs greatly from the Atto 3 EVO, which will soon arrive on our roads. More imposing, the newcomer aims to be much more opulent by bringing in his wake up to 630 km of autonomy and recharge in 9 minutes. Enough to make him a strong rival if he set down his bags in Europe.

Dimensions: A growing pain of 20 cm for the Atto 3

At 4.67 meters long, 1.90 meters wide and 1.68 meters high, the Atto 3 is almost 20 centimeters larger than the Atto 3 EVO. This spectacular growing pains comes with a style that has been toned down. Once is not customary, the replacement in fact softens its design with a smoother grille with smaller air inlets. The profile gains semi-flush door handles lined with enlarged glazing. The exterior is possibly less dynamic but the interior is certainly brighter.

Goodbye originality, make way for elegance: a new, more refined style

The stern is also less sharp than the Atto 3 EVO. The light strip is more subdued while the trunk lid follows a more standard stamping. The refined spirit is confirmed on board, where the new Atto 3 abandons the complex architecture for something more formal. The dashboard, which has two screens, does not inspire any madness. We thus lose the nautical aspect of the old model which until then distinguished the Atto 3 from other Chinese competitors. Some physical controls are nevertheless present on the central console.

Record roominess: 39 storage spaces and an XXL loading volume

In terms of habitability, the Atto 3 literally destroys the Atto 3 EVO. If we were not able to appreciate the interior space in real life, the figures concerning the volume of the trunks clearly do not lie. With 750 liters, the Atto 3 makes a mockery of the 490 liters of the Atto 3 EVO. Worse still, its cubic front trunk at 101 liters, which is again an improvement compared to the 95 liters of the Atto 3. BYD also adds that there are 39 storage spaces in the cabin including a large space under the central console including two induction chargers.

Flash Charging: complete recharge in 9 minutes flat!

But the best is elsewhere. And you don’t see it at first. This is the second generation Blade battery allowing astonishing fast charging efficiency. With a 10 to 97% in 9 minutes, the Atto 3 atomizes almost everyone at the terminal. We do not know the exact peak charging power, but taking into account Flash Charging technology making it possible to charge up to 1,500 kWit is possible that Atto 3 gravitates around this value.

BYD Atto 3: Should you wait for its release before buying a Tesla Model Y?

With 57 and 68 kWh batteries, the autonomy is respectively 540 and 630 km. Not bad… except that these values were established on the Chinese CLTC cycle. Count around 450 and 530 km on our WLTP standard, and a little less even in real conditions. Since the Atto 3 EVO has just arrived on our market, you will have to be patient to hope to see this new Atto 3, which will first be marketed in China. But here is another competitor who will complicate the career of the Tesla Model Y.