BYD is reportedly working on an upgraded version of its Atto 2 electric SUV, with the new model already spotted being tested on the road, hinting at an imminent launch.
The Atto 2 was launched in Australia last November, and offered at an affordable price of $31,990 plus on-road costs, helping the brand rake in over 3,000 sales in the first 6 months. That car is available locally with a front-wheel-drive (FWD) powertrain.
In China, the Atto 2 is known as the Yuan Up and there are reports that suggest the new version will be built on a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) platform with upgraded suspension.
This was shared by Thinkercar on X, which also suggests that a variant would be equipped with LiDAR technology for advanced autonomous driving capabilities, as seen on the Seagull/Atto 1, which was also recently unveiled.
The updated Yuan Plus model is expected to have a boost in range, going from 410 km CLTC range to 505 km on the same cycle. That’s likely to be over 400 km on the WLTP cycle, more commonly used in Australia.
These reported updates appear to be in line with what we have seen with the larger Yuan Plus, which previously underpinned the Atto 3 SUV, BYD’s first car in our market.
In early 2024, BYD unveiled one of its most affordable electric SUVs, the Yuan Up, in China, with prices starting at around $A20,500.
The larger battery variant is the one available in Australia, featuring a 51.3 kWh blade battery pack that delivers up to 345 km of range on the WLTP cycle.
This is paired with a 130 kW motor delivering up to 290 Nm of torque, which helps the car sprint from 0-100 km/h in under 8 seconds.
It appears to be increasing in popularity amid fuel price hikes we’ve seen in recent months April alone seeing 660 units sold, marking its highest month of sales to date.
There is also an increase in supply for this and other BYD models as demand for EVs surges to its highest level yet.
Last week, the company even confirmed that it will send one of its own car carrier ships to Australia with thousands of NEVs as part of a special shipment, the first of which will deliver almost 5,000 additional BYD and Denza cars.
According to BYD, the popular BYD Sealion 7 electric family SUV and the smaller, more affordable Atto 2 electric SUV will make up over 2,000 of the 4,810 vehicles.
With the latest reporting highlighting the onslaught of upgrades on the existing lineup of BYD’s popular models, it’s clear that the company is leaning towards its latest tech offerings to help drive sales in China and global markets.
We will keep an eye out for any further developments regarding this model and track the Atto 2’s sales locally.
See The Driven’s detailed EV sales data here: Australian electric vehicle sales by month in 2026; by model and by brand.
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Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.