BYD enters Japan market with trio of EV models – Atto 3 on sale from January; Dolphin, Seal from mid-2023

BYD enters Japan market with trio of EV models – Atto 3 on sale from January; Dolphin, Seal from mid-2023

Chinese manufacturer BYD announced its entry into the Japanese market with three models – the Atto 3, the Dolphin and the Seal. The Atto 3 is expected to be made available for purchase in Japan from January, with the Dolphin going on sale in the country from the middle of next year and the Seal follows suit in the second half of 2023.

The Atto 3 that will be the first of this trio to go on sale in Japan was launched in Australia in February this year, and then in Singapore last month. This is powered by a single front-mounted drive motor producing 201 hp and 310 Nm of torque, yielding a 0-100 km/h time of 7.3 seconds and a top speed of 160 km/h.

According to Singapore-market specifications, the Atto 3 is an EV crossover that packs the BYD Blade battery of 60.5 kWh capacity, accommodating AC charging at 6.6 kW via a Type 2 connection as well as DC charging at 80 kW through a CCS2 connection.

BYD Atto 3

At 50 kW DC, the Atto 3 takes 42 minutes to go from 20% to 80% state of charge, while the higher 80 kW DC charging rate takes 1.2 hours to fully charge the battery from zero. Meanwhile, AC charging at 6.6 kW takes 9.5 hours to go from zero to fully charged. At its Australian debut, the Atto 3 was also described to include bi-directional charging at a maximum of 2.2 kW, which is sufficient for domestic appliances.

Safety kit on the Atto 3 consists of seven air bags, a 360-degree panoramic view monitor, digital video recorder, front and rear radar units, stop-and-go full speed adaptive cruise control, AEB, front and rear collision warning, rear cross traffic alert, rear cross traffic brake, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, bling spot monitoring, and door open warning.

These are also joined by traction control, hill descent control, ESP, EBD, ABS, tyre pressure monitoring system, and an electric parking brake.

BYD Seal (above), BYD EA1 Dolphin(below)

The BYD Seal is a more upscale proposition, built with 800-volt electrical architecture incorporating the Blade battery that will power a single- or dual-motor powertrain configuration for rear- or all-wheel-drive. In China, RWD versions are offered in 201 hp and 312 hp variants, while the AWD variant pairs a 217 hp front motor with the 312 hp rear motor for a combined output of 530 hp.

The most powerful configuration propels the BYD Seal from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, while the best battery range figure is 700 km and likely to be from a RWD variant. This has been tipped to go on sale in Australia as the Atto 4, and has just been granted approval for sale in the country through its compliance with the Australian Design Rules (ADRs), reports Car Expert.

A more compact offering is represented by the Dolphin, a five-door hatchback powered by a single 177 hp/290 Nm motor that offers a 0-100 km/h time of 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 160 km/h. Also using a BYD Blade battery albeit in 44.9 kWh guise, this yields a range of 409 km, and AC charging at 7 kW brings a full charge in six hours 25 minutes, while DC charging at up to 60 kW will recharge the battery from 30-80% in 30 minutes.

GALLERY: BYD Atto 3

GALLERY: BYD Seal

GALLERY: BYD EA1 Dolphin

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Mick Chan

Open roads and closed circuits hold great allure for Mick Chan. Driving heaven to him is exercising a playful chassis on twisty paths; prizes ergonomics and involvement over gadgetry. Spent three years at a motoring newspaper and short stint with a magazine prior to joining this website.

 

Comments

  • abenda? on Jul 26, 2022 at 1:29 pm

    when can come Malaysia. ci la ka only import EV mahal to malaysia. Pun Kim Mak

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
    • Nissan Leaf? Hyundai Ionic 5?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
    • Celup King on Jul 26, 2022 at 4:57 pm

      Habeslah Jepunis, soon local car market will be conquered by China. All their cars are belong to us. Mwuahahaha

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 3
    • PlainBS on Jul 27, 2022 at 3:37 pm

      Sape suroh u bodo beli CBU impot? Tunggu jelah beli murah CKD. Cayenne dulu mahal pun dah mampu milik lepas CKD sini.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • tricycle on Jul 26, 2022 at 2:52 pm

    Everything else is nice. But why la the steering like that? Fugly.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 4
  • ROTI CANAI on Jul 31, 2022 at 2:56 pm

    interesting, doubt it will sell any tho

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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