ENGEAR ENGLISH BYD

WHILE Tesla maintains its position as the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer in 2023, its competitor, BYD, has set a new record as the leading new energy vehicle producer globally.

Throughout 2023, BYD successfully distributed approximately 3,024,417 new energy vehicles, including EVs, hybrids, and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

This achievement has placed BYD among the top 10 largest vehicle manufacturers in the world. Out of this total, 1.57 million units comprised electric vehicles (for comparison, Tesla sold 1.8 million units), while another 1.4 million consisted of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs).

In recent years, BYD has consistently narrowed the gap left by Tesla. In 2022, BYD’s sales figures were nearly 400,000 units lower than Tesla’s, but the difference was reduced by almost half in 2023.

Furthermore, in the fourth quarter of 2023, BYD successfully surpassed Tesla in EV sales, indicating a significant challenge ahead for the American EV manufacturer to maintain its leadership position in the coming year.

A year ago, BYD marked its entry into the Malaysian electric vehicle market with the launch of the BYD Atto 3.

In commemoration of this anniversary, Sime Darby Motors recently launched the Atto 3 Anniversary Limited Edition, which sets itself apart from the standard version with a blacked-out bodykit.

The latest offering is based on the Extended Range variant and is limited to only 500 units. Customers can choose from a selection of two exterior colours, namely Boulder Grey and Ski White.

Regardless of the chosen colour, the Atto 3 Anniversary Limited Edition is fitted a front bumper lip, front spoiler, front bumper panels, rear spoiler, and rear diffuser.

Additionally, the window frame, side mirror housings, and C-pillar panels are painted black to give the EV a more aggressive look.

There are no powertrain upgrades, meaning like the variant it is based on, the limited edition Atto 3 features an electric motor on the front axle generating 204 PS and 310 Nm. This enables it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds.

This variant is equipped with a 60.48 kWh battery that offers a driving range of up to 480 km on a full charge. Charging from 0-80% takes approximately 45 minutes with a fast DC 80 kW charger.

The selling price of the Atto 3 Anniversary Limited Edition starts at RM173,800, making it RM6,000 dearer than the standard Atto 3 Extended Range.