BYD Atto 2 to launch in UK, Europe – it’s the Yuan Up

The BYD Yuan Up is going to launch in the UK and Europe as soon as next month, wearing a BYD Atto 2 name tag. Bridging the Dolphin–Atto 3 gap, the little SUV will go up against the likes of the Opel/Vauxhall Frontera, the MG ES5 (the ZS EV‘s replacement) and the Suzuki eVitara/Toyota Urban Cruiser twins.

From the single photo we have, we can see that the BYD Atto 2 (at least for Europe) wears a simpler-looking lower bumper – China’s Yuan Up has a busier double-upturned U design. Different wheels, too.

First unveiled in February in China, the Yuan Up is 4,310 mm long (-145 mm versus Atto 3), 1,830 mm wide (-45 mm) and 1,675 mm tall (+60 mm). Its 2,620 mm wheelbase is 100 mm down on the Atto 3.

For further context, the Dolphin is 4,290 mm long, 1,770 mm wide, 1,570 mm tall and its wheelbase measures 2,700 mm. To draw comparisons, the Yuan Up is slightly larger than a Hyundai Kona and Mazda CX-3.

Chinese-market BYD Yuan Up pictured

Same e-Platform 3.0 as on the Dolphin, Atto 3 (also called the Yuan Plus) and Seal. Citing a Green NCAP report, Auto Express says that the Euro-spec Atto 2 will get a 42.4 kWh battery and a range of between 310 and 463 km (China gets 32 kWh and 45.1 kWh batteries for 301 km and 401 km respectively).

For the motor, it seems the Continent will get the 177 PS/290 Nm one, which is the more potent of the two options in China (the other is a 95 PS unit), yielding a 7.9-second century sprint time.

Auto Express reports that the Atto 2 features a rotatable 12.8-inch touchscreen, an 8.8-inch digital instrument panel, wireless phone charging and crystal gear lever, just like the Yuan Up. Those centre air-con vents look like they’re mounted pretty low in the dashboard, being in line with the glovebox opener.

UK prices should start from well under £30k (RM169k), AE says. The existence of a right-hand drive car gives us much hope – the Atto 3 is doing very well in Malaysia, so what do you think of its smaller sibling’s chances here?

Chinese-market BYD Yuan Up

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