BYD’s new cheapest EV and EV SUV in Australia have collectively returned an impressive number of pre-orders following their price announcement last week.
Electric Cars
BYD Australia has confirmed that it has received around 2600 pre-orders for its two new entry-level electric cars – the Atto 1 and Atto 2.
“For Atto 1, we are at about 1600 pre-orders, and for Atto 2, we were just under a thousand last time I checked, so let’s call it 1000.” Stephen Collins, BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer, told Drive last week.
It’s a promising look for two models that only just had their pricing announced earlier this month, with Atto 1 and Atto 2 priced from $23,990 and $31,990 plus on-road costs respectively.
This makes the Atto 1 the cheapest electric vehicle in the country, while the sub-$35,000 pricing for the Atto 2 makes it the cheapest EV SUV.
Collins further explained that pre-order numbers were a little stronger than first anticipated, given that both cars have a monthly goal of 300 units each.
“It’s pretty much what we expected, maybe Atto 1 is a bit stronger than what we thought for pre-order, but we expect a lot of conversion over the next week or so, now that we’ve announced pricing and the whole package.”
“I think early on it’s going to be stronger, there’s no doubt that there will be some early adopters, and the expressions of interest have shown that there’s that demand, but the 300 unit is really more of an ongoing figure.”
The new models will come in only two trim levels – the Atto 1 with Essential and Premium, and the Atto 2 with Dynamic and Premium – with a $4000 premium over the base variant of both examples.
Despite the price hike for more features, Collins still believes that the Premium will outsell the base models.
“We think the Premium in both models will be the majority of the mix. That tends to be the trend in most new car launches, where it goes heavy towards the top end.”
BYD has begun rolling out the Atto 2 into dealerships as of 15 November, while the Atto 1 will begin rolling into showrooms early next month.
“Stock arrives in quantity around the middle of December. So we'll be delivering some within December, but probably the majority in January,” said Collins.
“We'll have around a thousand [Atto 1] come through in the first order, and that'll be spread sort of late December into January. Atto 2 is around the same number. So we think we've got good stocks to cover early orders.”
Electric Cars Guide
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
