Looking Up! BYD Atto 3 Up patent in Australia signals the 2025 arrival of baby electric SUV to fight the MG ZS EV
BYD is secretly planning to launch yet another battery-electric SUV Down Under following an Australian and New Zealand patent for the 2025 BYD Atto 3 Up recently being unearthed.
Thought to refer to the small BYD Yuan Up already on sale in China, it’s understood local bosses are locking in the the small SUV to sit below the Current Atto 3 SUV in BYD’s Australian line-up.
Built to take on the likes of the strong-selling MG ZS EV, in China the Atto 3 Up squeezes in the gap between the Dolphin hatch that sells here for $36,890 (plus on-road costs) and the larger Atto 3 that’s priced locally here from $44,490 (plus ORCs).
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In China, the Atto 3 Up is priced from just 96,800 yuan which translates to just $A20,500, although that version lacks lots of the mandatory safety equipment needed to be sold Down Under, including autonomous emergency braking.
With that in mind, expect the 2025 BYD Atto 3 Up to be priced between $30,000 and $40,000, where it will slot in alongside near the Dolphin hatch, which is set to be updated and repositioned in 2025.
Sharing a strong family resemblance with the Atto 3, the Up SUV measures in at 4310mm long, 1830mm wide and 1675mm tall.
It also has a 2620mm wheelbase giving it the same footprint as a Hyundai Kona.
In China the Yuan Up is offered with a single e-motor that delivers power outputs that stretch from 70kW/180Nm to 130kW/290Nm.
It can launch from 0-100km/h in 7.9 seconds with the most powerful e-motor.
Two battery packs are available; the smaller 32kWh delivers a modest range of 301km (on the lenient Chinese CLTC test cycle) and a larger 45.1kWh Blade battery pack allows the budget small-SUV to cover up to 401km.
With the biggest battery expect a WLTP range of around 350km.
Inside, the Atto 3 Up gets high levels of standard kit with all models bagging an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster.
A choice of 10.1- or larger 12.8-inch rotating infotainment screen depends on trim.
A multi-function steering wheel, head-up display, leather-covered seats, smartphone mirroring, LED lighting, sport-style front seats and a 60:40-split folding second row are all available.
Top of the range versions also get a fixed glass roof, electric seats and a more powerful premium sound system.
Despite the evidence of the new patent, BYD Australia has yet to indicated when we might see the new BYD Atto 3 Up, but the Chinese brand’s new small SUV is hotly tipped to arrive next year.
It should be one of at least five new BYD models launcing in Australia in 2025 including the confirmed Sealion 7 and expected BYD Tang seven-seat SUV.
