As we had suspected during the weekend, BYD Malaysia has released a second teaser for the facelifted Atto 3 that essentially confirms that we will be receiving the massively revamped Evo version. This differs from the facelift being sold in Hong Kong, which pairs the revised exterior and interior with an unchanged motor and battery and only a mild increase in charging speed. The company listed a zero-to-100 km/h time of 5.5 seconds, which is what the new rear-wheel-drive variant accomplishes. The faster acceleration comes courtesy of a rear motor making 313 PS (230 kW) and 380 Nm of torque – a massive 109 PS (80 kW) and 70 Nm more than before – and is nearly two whole seconds quicker than the front-wheel-drive model. The lack of mention of an even more powerful dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant, which produces 449 PS (330 kW) and 560 Nm and completes the century sprint in just 3.9 seconds, suggests it won’t be coming here. In any case, the enhanced performance is paired with a larger 74.8 kWh Blade LFP battery (up from 60.48 kWh) and a commensurate increase in WLTP-rated range to 510 km (+90 km) for the RWD model. Even more impressive is the switch to an 800-volt electrical architecture, meaning that DC fast charging capacity also leaps from a measly 88 kW to a much more respectable 220 kW. This cuts the charging time from 10 to 80% by nearly half to just 25 minutes (down from 40 minutes) despite the bigger battery. Other far-reaching changes include a new five-link (previously four) rear suspension setup, which is more compact and frees up 50 litres of boot space – now 490 litres, expandable to 1,360 litres with the rear seats folded – even though the motor is now at the rear. The latter has also resulted in a new 101 litre front boot. The rest of the changes are mostly common with the HK version and include sportier front and rear bumpers with body-coloured “tusks”, cascading triangular graphics for the taillights and sleeker black D-pillar trims. On top of this, the Evo gains a turbine-style design and a grey finish for the 18-inch alloy wheels, as well as a rear instead of a front charging port and the ditching of the “BYD Design” front fender appliqués. Inside, there’s a less rippled dashboard, an Atto 2-style steering wheel with a new column-mounted gear selector, a non-rotating 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, a much larger 8.8-inch instrument display (up from just five inches) and a redesigned centre console with twin smartphone holders. The Evo also gains built-in Google services like Google Maps, Google Assistant, YouTube and the Play Store. The Atto 3 Evo will be launched on Friday, June 5, with pricing expected to be quite a bit higher than before given the increased performance and mechanical sophistication – it’s faster, has more range and charges more quickly than a Sealion 7, for instance. The car will also almost certainly arrive in CBU fully-imported form (now that BYD’s CKD local assembly plans are in limbo), meaning it will incur import and excise duties exacted on CBU EVs starting this year. However, as the cars arrive before the ministry of investment, trade and industry’s (MITI) new CBU EV policy takes effect on July 1, the Atto 3 will dodge the revised rules that effectively mean a minimum price of RM300,000 – at least for the initial units. Are you excited for the Evo? Let us know in the comments. GALLERY: BYD Atto 3 Evo official photos Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro. Use the promo code 'PAULTAN' when you checkout for 10% discount!
