2024 BYD Atto 3 launched in Malaysia - sole Extended Range variant RM18k cheaper at RM149,800

The 2024 BYD Atto 3 has officially been launched in Malaysia at Sime Darby Motors Automania, offering a significant and streamlined update to both pricing, features, and variants. Basically, it’s now a variant (singular), with the prior Standard Range axed and the 'Extended Range' inheriting its lower price tag while retaining all the goodies

Priced at RM149,800 nett or RM150,430 on-the-road without insurance, the 2024 Atto 3 Extended Range is now RM18,000 cheaper than its previous price of RM167,800, giving Malaysian consumers a more affordable entry into BYD’s EV line up but need a larger vehicle than the Dolphin.

As before, this new ’default’ BYD Atto 3 utilises a 60.48 kWh Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, providing an impressive range of 420 km on the WLTP cycle due to it only having to serve relatively conservative needs of its single front motor that produces 204 PS (150 kW) and 310 Nm of torque. Due to year-on-year optimisations, this setup allows the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds, a slight improvement over the outgoing Atto 3 Extended Range.

Charging capabilities remain decent with the B-segment electric SUV supporting 88kW of DC fast charging, allowing a 10-80% charge in 40 minutes. For AC charging, the maximum input remains 7 kW just like the BYD Seal, taking approximately closer to 10 hours for a full charge.

Externally, the 2024 Atto 3 sees very few changes, though the eagle-eyed might notice the black finish on the window surrounds and C-pillars, replacing the previous satin silver finish. An updated BYD badge appears at the back, doing away with the “Build Your Dreams” branding entirely from the Malaysian lineup. There’s also a new Cosmos Black color option along with the familiar 18-inch turbine-style alloy wheels, now paired with much better Continental EcoContact 6Q tyres that takes the place of the chuckle-inducing Atlas Batman rubber it debuted with.

Inside, the Atto 3 receives a significant tech upgrade with a larger 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen, up from still-big 12.8 inches. Also, a new black and dark blue two-tone interior (still with orange accents) is offered for vehicles painted in Boulder Grey or Cosmos Black.

Standard features from the previous model remain, including adaptive LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, multi-colour ambient lighting, a nine-speaker audio system, a powered tailgate, wireless Android Auto, wired Apple CarPlay, and a 360-degree camera system. The top-notch package is also unaltered with seven airbags and a full suite of driver assistance systems like autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centring assist, and blind spot monitoring among the highlights.