Go farther for cheaper: BYD's Atto 3 lands in Korea to take on local EVs

Home > Business > Industry

print dictionary print

Go farther for cheaper: BYD's Atto 3 lands in Korea to take on local EVs

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI


From left, Cho In-chul, managing director of the passenger vehicle division at BYD Korea, Liu Xueliang, general manager of BYD's Asia-Pacific auto sales division, and BYD Korea President Ding Hai Miao pose for a photo with the newly launched Atto 3 SUV at a media event in Incheon on Jan. 16. [BYD KOREA]

From left, Cho In-chul, managing director of the passenger vehicle division at BYD Korea, Liu Xueliang, general manager of BYD's Asia-Pacific auto sales division, and BYD Korea President Ding Hai Miao pose for a photo with the newly launched Atto 3 SUV at a media event in Incheon on Jan. 16. [BYD KOREA]

 
BYD has finally landed in Korea's passenger EV market with the Atto 3 compact SUV at a price lower than in most major countries, throwing down the gauntlet for an EV market currently dominated by local manufacturers Hyundai Motor and Kia.
 
The Seal sedan and Sealion 7 SUV will also be launched in the second half of the year, the world's largest EV maker said, with a goal of bringing in at least one model every year.
 

Related Article

 
The Atto 3, known as the Yuan Plus in China, is available in two versions, with the sticker price of the standard model starting at 31.5 million won ($21,620). 
 
That's cheaper than in any other major country excluding its home turf of China, with the price in Japan set at 4.5 million yen ($29,000) and some 38,000 euros ($46,000) in Europe.
 
That's also cheaper than Hyundai Motor's Kona Electric, whose sticker price starts at 41 million won, and the Kia EV3 at 40 million won, the two models cited as the Atto 3's rivals.
 
"Considering the government's subsidy, the Atto 3 will likely able to be purchased for somewhere in the upper-20 million won range," said Cho In-chul, managing director of the passenger vehicle division at BYD Korea, during a launch event held in Incheon on Thursday. "We don't expect much subsidy, but the exact amount will probably be announced in February when the delivery of the car will start."
 
BYD's Atto 3 compact SUV [BYD KOREA]

BYD's Atto 3 compact SUV [BYD KOREA]

 
The Atto is topped with 60.48 kilowatt-hours of Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which enable it to run for up to 321 kilometers (200 miles) on a single charge according to Korea's Ministry of Environment.
 
That's also farther than its competitors, with the Kona Electric rated for 311 kilometers and the EV3 with a range of 347 kilometers per charge.
 
Measuring 4,455 millimeters (175 inches) long, 1,875 millimeters wide and 1,615 millimeters tall, the Chinese SUV is also longer and wider than the Seltos SUV, the longtime best-seller in Korea's compact SUV market.
 
It takes 30 minutes to charge from 20 percent to 80 percent and needs 7.3 seconds to go from zero to 100 kilometers per hour.
 
Regarding Korean customers' concern over the quality of "made-in-China" cars, BYD said it is confident it can overcome that perception with its products and service.
 
"We are aware that customers are not reassured by the brand BYD; our priority will be to get close to Korean customers, not setting a goal for sales or profit," Liu Xueliang, general manager of the automaker's Asia-Pacific auto sales division, said at the event.
 
BYD already inked deals with six dealerships including Samchully EV and Harmony Automobile and aims to open a total of 15 showrooms and 12 service centers across the nation.
 
The Chinese automaker sold over 4.3 million environmentally friendly cars including EVs and hybrid cars in global markets last year, maintaining its status as the No. 1 EV maker as it beat Tesla for the third consecutive year.
 
BYD entered Korea in October 2016 with commercial vehicles like electric buses and trucks. 

BY SARAH CHEA [[email protected]]
Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)