BYD has officially launched its right-hand drive Atto3 electric vehicle at an event held in Brisbane on Tuesday. The event showcased one of the only right-hand drive BYD Atto 3s currently in Australia.
Attendees included hundreds of existing order holders and future customers, as well as Tim Cahill, the former Socceroo star who has joined BYD importer EV Direct as an investor and integral part of the management team.
Affordable EV at a time of high petrol prices
The official unveiling to the public started just before 1pm at Automall, at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in Brisbane.
Following the unveiling of the car, Cahill was asked about what connected him to the BYD brand to which he said, it was the affordability of BYD EVs.
“People can look at this as the entry into the market – for a family that be $50,000 dollar range or a third car where you saved for your son on daughter,” said Cahill.
“I’m saying, take the electric cars …. before you put another hundred bucks in petrol.”
The BYD Atto3 is also set to become Australía’s most affordable ground-up EV. It starts at $44,381 for the standard range Atto3 while the long-range model costs $47,381.
Hundreds of Queenslanders see the Atto3 for the first time
The EV on display was a grey right-hand drive extended range Atto3. While the vehicle officially debuted in Sydney in February, it was the first time many Queensland-based order holders had a chance to see it.
And interest was clearly huge. Scores of customers lined up for upwards of an hour to see the Atto 3.
I got a chance to speak to a few order holders who were pleased to experience the car they had paid a deposit for without ever sitting in it or test driving one.
One of these order holders told me that he was extremely pleased with the quality of the car and how comfortable the seats were. It will be a welcomed upgrade from his 2-year-old Nissan Leaf, which he’s quite happy with.
Another order holder I spoke to liked the interior futuristic lighting through the doors that can be adjusted to any colour. She also commented on how comfortable the rear seats were as well as the spacious boot.
In these discussions, it was great to hear how optimistic customers of the BYD Atto3 were and seeing the car in person really made the difference.
What today showed is that there are thousands of Australians who are ready to make the switch to EVs, we just need more affordable ones to get here sooner.
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.