BYD India on Tuesday marked its official entry into the Indian PV market as it unveiled the Atto 3 e-SUV. The company commenced bookings for the vehicle for INR 50,000 with the plan to deliver the first 500 units in January 2023.
Customers booking the vehicle at present can avail of the Promotional Package, which includes a 7kW charger with home installation, a 3kW portable charger, three years of free subscriptions for 4G services, six years of roadside assistance and six times free maintenance.
BYD India intends to sell 15,000 units of the newly unveiled Atto 3 by the end of next year and plans to set up a local manufacturing facility for the vehicle in the same period, Ketsu Zhang, Executive Director, BYD India, stated.
Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, SVP, BYD India, told Mobility Outlook that retailing even 1,000 units per annum of Atto 3 will make it a market leader. He hinted that the vehicle will be placed in the premium e-SUV segment and priced between INR 20 lakh and INR 25 lakh.
Based on the company’s e3 EV platform, the e-SUV features a 60.48kWh Blade battery and a 150kW 310Nm PMSM motor. The company claimed that the Atto 3 comes with an ARAI-certified range of 521 kms.
Notably, the platform features an 8-in-1 electric powertrain with a drive motor, motor controller, reducer, onboard charger, DC converter, high voltage distributor box, vehicle controller, and Battery Management System integrated into one unit.
BYD India claims this has allowed for a 20% size reduction and 15% weight reduction with an overall efficiency of more than 89%.
Measuring 4,455 mm in length with a 2,720 mm wheelbase, 1,875 mm in width and 1,616 mm in height, the Atto 3 features the company’s latest Dragon Face 3.0 and has a drag coefficient of 0.29 cd.
On the exterior, the Atto 3 features a crystal LED combo headlight and one piece through LED taillight strip along with 18-inch alloy wheels.
While on the inside, the EV comes with a 12.8-inch adaptive rotating suspension electronic pad, panoramic sunroof, holographic transparent imaging system, NFC card key, eight-speaker sound system, and electrical seat adjustment, among other features. Besides, the Atto 3 also comes with V2L, which supports output power up to 3.3kW.
In terms of safety, the new EV comes with BYD Dipilot ADAS L-2 capabilities such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Detection, Door Opening Warning, Lane Departure Warning and Prevention along with Adaptive Front Light along with seven airbags.
Available in the shade of Surf Blue, Parkour Red, Boulder Grey and Ski White, the e-SUV comes with a standard warranty of six years or 1.5 lakh kms, while the battery and the motor with motor controller gets an eight-year standard warranty.
Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, SVP, BYD India, noted that the company has invested $200 million in the Indian operation since 2007 and has set up two plants spread across 140,000 sqm, employing 3000 people.
The company started its operations in India in 2007 as an electronic player and later, in 2011, started exploring the solar energy business.
Interestingly, the global entity of the company also started its journey as an electronic player in 1993 and later, in 2003, ventured into the mobility business.
In India, BYD started exploring the automotive market in 2013 with its e-buses that were shipped to the country for a test run.
The Warren Buffet-backed company currently has a vehicle portfolio ranging from e-forklifts, toe-busses and trucks to EVs.
As it formally enters the PV space with the Atto 3, BYD India has also showcased its new logo for the PV business.
Gopalakrishnan noted that the company aims to attain a 30% market share in the EV space by 2030. While in terms of sales network, the company currently has nine outlets. It aims to expand to 24 by the end of FY23 and 53 by the end of December’23.
Moreover, in terms of preparation for the PV business, he noted that the dealerships are being trained for technical knowledge, and the company has started stocking spare parts for the vehicle.
Additionally, BYD India will set up a charging station at every dealership for which it has tied up with players like Volttic.
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