BYD Atto 3 – Sime Darby Motors targeting sales of 3,000 units a year for the all-electric SUV in Malaysia

Having received 1,500 orders for the BYD Atto 3 in the first month of its launch, with 1,000 orders having being accomplished in the first 10 days, Sime Darby Motors – through its BYD SD Motors Malaysia division – has set an annual target of 3,000 units for the all-electric SUV.

UPDATE: The story initially reported the sales target at 3,000 units per month, as stated in the research note. We were informed by RHB Investment Bank via email that the info in its note was erroneous, and that the actual figure was 3,000 units a year. The bank said it has amended its report, and our story has been updated to reflect the changes.

According to RHB Investment Bank analyst Jim Lim Khai Xhiang, this figure, which works out to 250 units a month, should not be a challenging target to meet.

However, don’t expect local assembly for the SUV to happen anytime in the near future. While the Chinese automaker has stated it will be investing RM500 million in the country, this will be for the development of a showroom network, with there being no mention of assembly plans as of yet.

“With the existing import and excise duty exemption for completely built-up (CBU) EVs, BYD currently has no incentive to assemble its cars locally. With BYD’s forthcoming Vietnam components factory and Thailand assembly plant, we think the carmaker will only consider assembly operations in Malaysia, given high EV adoption in the ASEAN region,” the note said.

Additionally, the investment bank said that Sime Darby Motors would be launching more BYD models in Malaysia this year, reiterating that which was previously indicated. It said that SDM would be introducing the Dolphin EA1 hatchback, Seal sedan and e6 MPV in 2023.

During the launch of the Atto 3, it was revealed that the Dolphin and Seal were due to make their way here sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, and the e6’s planned entry here was confirmed by the company as early as September last year. Both the Dolphin and Seal were previewed at the Atto 3’s debut.

The Dolphin is available in 174 hp/290 Nm and 94 hp/180 Nm output guises, both juiced by a 44.9 kWh LFP Blade battery. On a full charge, maximum operating range for the higher output unit is 401 km, while the lower output variant offers 405 km, both on a NEDC cycle. There’s also an entry-level Dolphin, which comes with the same 94 hp/180 Nm motor, but paired to a 30.7 kWh battery for up to 301 km of NEDC range.

As for the Seal, four variants are available in the domestic market, and it remains to be seen which will make its way here. The RWD Elite and Premium have a single 201 hp motor driving the rear wheels, and are equipped with a 61.4 kWh Blade battery offering 550 km of CLTC-rated travel.

There’s also a Long Range RWD, which features a 308 hp motor paired with a 82.5 kWh battery, upping the travel range to 700 km. Finally, there’s the Long Range AWD Performance, a two-motor variant with 523 hp and a 650 km operating range.

GALLERY: BYD Atto 3 Malaysian launch

GALLERY: BYD Seal and Dolphin EA1 previewed in Malaysia

GALLERY: BYD EA1 Dolphin

GALLERY: BYD Seal

GALLERY: Second-generation BYD e6 (Singapore market)

GALLERY: Second-generation BYD e6 (Thailand market)

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