BYD Enters South Korea’s Passenger Car Market, Competes with Hyundai

BYD Atto 3. (Credit: BYD)

BYD has officially launched its passenger car offerings in South Korea, introducing the Atto 3 electric SUV to challenge Hyundai on its home turf. The Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) giant began accepting pre-orders for the Atto 3 today, with local deliveries set to commence by mid-February.

Two versions of the Atto 3, the base model and the premium Atto 3 Plus, are available in South Korea. Prices start at 31.5 million won ($21,600) and 33.3 million won, respectively, but with government subsidies, costs are reduced to approximately 20 million won. Both models feature BYD’s proprietary 60.48 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) blade batteries, offering a range of around 321 kilometers. BYD touts its LFP batteries as safer and more reliable compared to the higher-capacity nickel, cobalt, and manganese batteries produced by South Korean manufacturers.

Credit: BYD

The Atto 3, known as the Yuan Plus in China, is based on BYD’s e-Platform 3.0 and features a single-motor front-wheel drive system with 150 kW of power and 310 Nm of torque. The SUV can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 7.3 seconds. BYD plans to follow the Atto 3 launch with the Seal electric sedan and Sealion 7 electric SUV in South Korea later this year.

In a bid to strengthen its footprint, BYD will open 15 showrooms and 11 after-sales service centers in key regions, including Seoul and Gwangju. The company emphasized that vehicles sold in South Korea will utilize local servers for data transfer, addressing data security concerns.

Credit: BYD

BYD has been active in South Korea since 2016, starting with electric bus sales on Jeju Island. The company recently announced that its electric buses in South Korea have reached a cumulative mileage of 100 million kilometers, cutting CO2 emissions by approximately 120,000 tons. BYD plans to introduce new electric tour buses and additional models in the market by 2025.

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