Is The BYD Atto 3 EV Coming To Malaysia Soon?

The BYD Atto 3 EV is already available in Australia and Singapore. Is Malaysia next? Can it do well in our growing EV market?

Electric vehicles in general have seen quite a boom here in Malaysia thanks to the many incentives introduced by our current government. With more and more EVs entering the market, the next step that everyone has their eyes set on is bringing in more affordable brands, models, and options.

China's BYD incoming?

The chase for more affordable EV options has led to many brands popping up here and there, and a lot of eyes are on China. One of the brands that are currently doing well for themselves is BYD - short for "Build Your Dreams".

Backed by the infamous Warren Buffet, BYD has sold over 640,000 'new energy' vehicles in the first half of 2022. Half of those were fully-electrified cars. Quite a number when put up against other giants of the industry like Tesla.

And they're not satisfied which just tackling the local market, either. Plans to expand into several markets outside of China have begun, and they're already present in right-hand-drive versions in markets like Australia (February) and Singapore (July).

Lower-priced EV for the middle-class?

For obvious reasons, the BYD Atto 3 is not cheap in Singapore (from $178,888 or around RM570,000) and it's about RM134,000 in the land Down Under. Distributed by Sime Darby Motors Singapore, this could be an easier transition should Sime Darby Motors want to bring the BYD brand into the Malaysian market.

Our educated guess sees the potential of the BYD Atto 3 being sold in the market somewhere between the RM100,000-RM150,000 mark - a more attainable figure compared to EV offerings here in Malaysia like the Mercedes-EQ range or Volvo's XC40 Recharge Pure Electric.

Paired with the Atto 3's 201hp electric powertrain and a 60.4kWh battery that can cover around 480km, it's definitely an interesting prospect to boost the EV market here in Malaysia. The cherry on the cake? The BYD Atto 3 looks amazing, and this is coming from someone who's not really into SUVs.