1 day ago
5
The BYD Yuan Up city electric SUV looks set for Australia and New Zealand with a name derived from its larger Atto 3 sibling.
Electric Cars
BYD is edging closer to launching its smallest – and likely cheapest – electric SUV yet in Australia.
The Chinese car maker launched a new small electric SUV in its home market known as the Yuan Up earlier this year, based on the Atto 3 but with a smaller footprint, more conventional interior and lower prices.
In recent days BYD has filed to protect the 'BYD Atto 3 Up' name in Australia and New Zealand, and while the purpose of the trademark is yet to be confirmed, the common word suggests the Yuan Up could be known as the Atto 3 Up locally.
The Chinese name for the Atto 3 is Yuan Plus – as part of BYD's range of vehicles named after Chinese dynasties – so it is a natural fit to retain the Atto 3 brand for Oceanian markets.
The Yuan Up has already been launched in Latin America as the Yuan Pro, though the Atto 3 is sold there under the Yuan Plus moniker.
Measuring 4310mm long, 1830mm wide and 1675mm tall, the Yuan Up/Atto 3 Up is smaller than the 4455mm-long Yuan Plus/Atto 3.
Buyers in China can choose between three power configurations: a 70kW electric motor with a 32kWh battery, 70kW motor with a 45.1kWh battery, and 130kW motor with a 45.1kWh battery.
Driving range is quoted as up to 401km in lab testing – likely the CLTC test standard used in China, which would translate to about 340km in the more stringent European WLTP test commonly referenced in Australia.
Tantalising for Australian customers is how much the new SUV could cost, as in its home market the Yuan Up is priced from 96,800 to 125,800 Chinese yuan ($AU20,600 to $AU26,700).
It compares with 119,800 to 149,800 yuan ($AU25,500 to $AU31,800) for the Atto 3, and 99,800 to 129,800 yuan ($AU22,000 to $AU27,600) for the Dolphin hatch.
Australian-market Atto 3 Up SUVs would draw closer to top-of-the-range versions in China, as the base model's 301km Chinese range – or closer to 250km here – and lack of advanced safety tech would not be suitable for local tastes.
Given flagship variants of the Atto 3 and Dolphin cost 50 per cent more in Australia than in China, an entire Atto 3 Up line-up could be priced from less than $40,000 plus on-road costs in Australia.
It would make it one of the country's most affordable electric cars, and its cheapest electric SUV once stock of the soon-to-be-replaced MG ZS EV runs out.
BYD Australia has not confirmed plans for the Atto 3 Up or Yuan Up, and trademarks are no guarantee to translate to a future model in development.
But it is quite a specific trademark – not any regular overseas BYD model name being protected locally in case the company wants to launch the vehicle at a later date – and Australian executives have confirmed the brand will launch a smaller SUV than the regular Atto 3.
David Smitherman, CEO of BYD’s Australian importer EVDirect, said in October 2024: "There are plans for smaller vehicles [below Dolphin], smaller SUVs as well."
He said: "We want to have a vehicle for every segment, and if we look at our aspirations as a brand, we need to have large SUVs.
"We need to have an array of products for every segment, and that’s what we will deliver."
Electric Cars Guide
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.
