BYD ‘Atto 2’ Yuan Up revealed, Australian potential cloudy

February: BYD's little electric SUV goes official

The compact BYD Yuan Up, coined 'BYD Atto 2' in western media, has made its official debut today. Visually, at least.

This reveal follows the surfacing of trademark filings in January that offered a first clear look at the Yuan Up's final design.

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Full details are still to come, but today's release of official marketing images – published by BYD to China's Weibo social network – is likely a response to those earlier, grainy images that did little to showcase the new EV's styling.

As those earlier filings showed, the Yuan Up takes its styling cues from the larger Atto 3 already sold in Australia, again making the local BYD Dolphin hatch something of an outlier in its older-looking front-end design – although neither look quite as fresh as the Seal sedan or Seal U SUV.

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Will the BYD Yuan Up come to Australia as the BYD Atto 2?

For now, it seems unlikely, or at least not this year.

As we reported in January, BYD's local distributor EVDirect has made clear it will launch two models in 2024 – and those are already expected to be the BYD plug-in hybrid ute and a larger SUV, likely the Seal U.

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Click above photo for more interior views of the BYD Yuan Up

Still, even if the Yuan Up were confirmed for Australia, an early 2025 launch would be the most likely window on the strength of its production schedule alone.

China is a massive market – the car maker will want to spend 2024 ensuring the Yuan Up's production plan is tickety-boo before launching into a global schedule.

Continue reading our January report below for more details, including powertrain and a size comparison with equivalent models already available in Australia.

January: BYD Yuan Up surfaces online ahead of debut

Is this the long anticipated BYD Atto 2? If it is, it’s likely still at least a year away.

It was previously suspected that the model we now know as the BYD Dolphin might reach Australia as the Atto 2, slotting in beneath the very popular Atto 3 medium SUV.

That speculation was put away when the Dolphin made its official Australian debut, but a new small electric SUV will be unveiled in March as the Yuan Up. No surprise, it’s now the latest contender for an ‘Atto 2’ badge in Australia.

The Yuan Up has been teased a couple of times ahead of its anticipated March debut, but design patent images out of China have also shown the would-be Atto 2 completely undisguised – if a little unglamourously.

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If it comes to Australia, the ‘Atto 2’ would enter the BYD range between the Dolphin and the Atto 3 (sold in China as the Yuan Plus).

It’s a tight gap to fill in terms of pricing, however, with the Dolphin starting from around $39k and the Atto 3 currently kicking off from just over $48,000. Don’t be surprised, however, if BYD finds some more savings in the Dolphin’s sticker so that it can continue to dominate the entry end of the EV market.

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The new small electric SUV is understood to be built on BYD’s newest architecture, known as E-Platform 3.0, which would be new to Australia if the Atto 2 comes here.

According to the UK’s Autocar, the Yuan Up / Atto 2 will reach the European market in left- and right-hand-drive forms sometime in 2025, which could see an Australian debut occur around the same time – if not sooner. For now, though, there’s no official word from BYD on timing or intentions.

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BYD Atto 2: How big is it?

The patent application reveals that the new model measures 4310mm long, making it nearly 300mm longer than the small BYD Dolphin hatch and 145mm shorter than the Atto 3.

Despite its extra length, the Atto 2's 2620mm wheelbase is a full 80mm shorter than the Dolphin. Expect that to translate to slightly less legroom and more boot space – important given the Dolphin's small-for-a-family 345L cargo space.

The Yuan Up / Atto 2 is also longer than the MG 4 (4287mm, $39,990) while effectively matching the outgoing MG ZS EV (4314mm). The new Hyundai Kona electric ($54,000) is a touch longer at 4350mm.

Mini match-up

BYD Atto 2 battery and driving range

As with BYD's other models, the exclusively front-wheel-drive Atto 2 will use the company’s own lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) Blade battery design, with capacities of 32kWh and 45.1kWh for 300km and 400km driving ranges.

Kerb weight is listed between 1430kg and 1540kg, depending on the specification. For context, Australia’s once beloved VE Commodore large sedan weighed 1690kg in its standard form.

No other details have been released at this time, but with an unveiling expected to occur in March, we’ll know more soon. Watch this space.