Peter Lyon
March 14, 2025
Could Malaysia be about to enter a price war for fully electric vehicles (EVs)? The BYD Atto 3 Ultra, which retails for RM124,500 on-road, was introduced by BYD Sime Motors, the official distributor of BYD automobiles in Malaysia.
Simply put, the Atto 3 Extended Range, which launched last year for RM149,800, has been replaced by this new Atto 3 model. Undercutting its predecessor by RM26, 000, the Ultra directly competes with the similarly priced Proton eMAS 7 (stylised as e.MAS 7) Premium variant.
If you were hoping that the new Atto 3 Ultra would be the facelift model that was recently introduced in China, with a new exterior and a redesigned interior, you will be disappointed because, aside from the newly designed 18-inch alloys, the Atto 3 Ultra is almost identical to the Extended Range on the outside.
The changes are more noticeable on the inside though, where it has a new all-black interior with seats that are upholstered in black synthetic leather and yellow stitching, as well as ventilated front seats and an NFC digital key feature that enables owners to unlock their vehicle with a smartphone or the BYD smartphone app.
The rest of the interior equipment remains the same, with the large rotatable 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto taking centre stage, and a five-inch digital gauge cluster for the driver.
No changes were made to the powertrain for the Atto 3 Ultra so it still has a front electric motor that produces 310 Nm and 204 horsepower with a 60.48 kWh BYD blade battery pack powering the motor.
This powertrain delivers a WLTP range of 420 km for the Atto 3 Ultra variant, which is the same as the Extended Range. Charging is supported with DC charging at 88 kW and AC charging at 7 kW.
The Atto 3 Ultra has a full range of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) characteristics in terms of safety systems. These include automated emergency braking (AEB), blind spot monitors (BSM), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), and adaptive cruise control (ACC) with stop and go capability.
Ultra buyers will get a six-year or 150,000-kilometer vehicle warranty, an eight-year or 160,000-kilometer high-voltage battery warranty, an eight-year or 150,000-kilometer drive unit warranty, and an eight-year free service package are all included in the price.
Included in a special package, BYD Sime Darby Motors is offering an exclusive early bird promotion for the first 1,000 customers called the ‘BYD Atto 3 Ultra Launch Package.’ This launch package includes a RM5,000 cash rebate, a free 7 kW wall charger, a free vehicle-to-load adapter, a free Type-2 cable, and free unlimited internet for two years.
Customers may also purchase the service plus package at RM12,888 for six years or RM20,688 for eight years, which gives added perks such as tyre rotation, alignment, and balancing, along with an annual 12V battery replacement.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
The Atto 3 arrived last year as one of the cheapest EVs on the market. Now it returns with a revised spec and a new price, that still impresses on its bottom line. You’d have to go a long way to find an EV that beats this model’s RM124K price and 420km range.
