Chinese automaker BYD is set to enter the UK market with the launch of its electric cars in the coming weeks. The company has formed partnerships with dealerships including Arnold Clark, Lookers, LSH Auto, and Pendragon, with initial showrooms planned to open in critical regions by the end of March. This marks BYD’s return to the UK market, where it previously sold the e6 electric crossover in limited quantities, mostly to private-hire fleets.
This move is part of BYD’s wider European expansion plans, which began last year with launches in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway. The company aims to achieve four million sales by 2023. Initially, only the BYD Atto 3 will be available for purchase in the UK. The Atto 3 is the first model to use BYD’s new e-Platform 3.0 architecture and is a 201bhp, front-wheel-drive crossover similar in size and performance to the MG ZS EV. It offers a 261-mile range on the WLTP combined cycle and can charge at rates up to 80kW, with a 0-62mph time of 7.3 seconds.
The Atto 3 is powered by a 60.5kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery, which BYD calls the Blade. The battery is said to be 50% more energy-dense than a conventional lithium-ion unit and has been developed to address safety issues and redefine industry standards. BYD has also started offering the battery to other manufacturers, including Toyota, which will use it in the Chinese-market bZ3 saloon.
In Europe, the Atto 3 will be sold alongside the BYD Han, a Tesla Model 3-rivaling executive saloon, and the BYD Tang, a seven-seat SUV that has been available in limited quantities in Norway since July 2021.
