New Chinese car maker to launch in South Africa

The Chinese electric car (EV) maker BYD – short for Build Your Dreams – is officially entering the South African market in 2023.

ALSO READ: LIST: Vehicles that are mostly targeted in hijackings in South Africa

New Chinese electric car in SA

According to MyBroadband, the car first model bound for South Africa is BYD’s battery-powered crossover SUV – the Atto 3 – which is scheduled to reach the local market in the next two months

The Atto is the second Chinese EV planned for South Africa in 2023, following the recently-unveiled GWM Ora, which will likely be BYD’s biggest competitor.

ALSO READ: BREAKING: Reserve Bank hikes repo rate by 50 basis points

GWM announced that the Ora would launch at a starting price of R716,900, and while BYD has yet to announce the official Atto 3 car pricing for South Africa, it’s expected to come in under R800,000.

The Atto 3 car is already on sale in several markets outside China — including Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Singapore.

ALSO READ: Fuel: South Africans are losing almost R500 per tank to fuel taxes

Features

According to TopAuto, standout features inside the Atto 3 car consist of the following:

• A 5-inch digital driver’s display;
• climate control car;
• Multi-colour ambient lighting;
• A panoramic sunroof;
• A multifunction steering wheel and heated and electric front seats;
• A 12.8-inch “rotating” touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite navigation, and online music streaming through apps such as Spotify;
• Adaptive LED lights
• keyless entry and start car
• A one-touch tailgate and 360-view cameras

ALSO READ: Petrol prices latest: Petrol, diesel prices on course for huge drop

Additionally, the EV car will sport drive assist features such as front and rear parking sensors, hill-descent control, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warnings, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, and front and rear collision warnings.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY CWENGA MAQHUBELA