BYD Atto 2 electric compact SUV launched in Singapore, Lifestyle News
BYD says that the Atto 2 is aimed at youthful urban drivers looking for an easy-to-drive city runabout, and the car's compact dimensions and tight turning circle of just 5.25 metres makes it ideal for manoeuvring around dense CBD traffic or tight HDB carparks.
Despite its small size however, the Atto 2 offers a relatively spacious interior, and a decent 380 litres worth of boot space to accommodate everyday necessities. It also comes generously equipped, with standard features that include ventilated front seats, a wireless smartphone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, and the rotating central infotainment touchscreen that is now a BYD trademark.
Power comes from a single electric motor that produces 134hp and 290Nm of torque, allowing the car to sit comfortably in COE Category A and further boosting its price-competitiveness. The 51.13kWh battery offers a range of 345km, which, while not class-leading, should be more than adequate for urban use in Singapore. BYD also adds that the battery can be fully charged using a DC fast charger in just 1.2 hours.
The Atto 2's pricing of $157,388 with COE (as of August 2025) means that it is now the most affordable car in BYD's lineup, and BYD hopes that the Atto 2's attractive price tag will help it maintain its status as Singapore's number one selling automotive brand.
[[nid:720462]]
ben.chia@asiaone.com
No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Toyota to enter South Africa's EV market with three models in 2026
GQEBERHA, South Africa :Toyota plans to introduce three fully-electric models in South Africa in 2026, a senior executive said on Thursday, entering a nascent EV market where Chinese rivals such as BYD are already competing with European carmakers. Volvo currently dominates EV sales in South Africa, followed by BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but Chinese EV makers are starting to flood the market too as they seek new markets amid restrictions on exports to the United States and Europe. Toyota currently only sells hybrid electric vehicles in South Africa, but leads with a commanding 67 per cent of the market for hybrids and plug-in hybrids in 2024, with models like its Corolla Cross. "We're launching battery electric vehicles at the beginning of 2026, so we will have three new battery electric vehicles," Toyota South Africa CEO Andrew Kirby told Reuters on the sidelines of an auto components conference, without providing further details. "We do not believe that one powertrain is going to dominate in the future. So we'll have internal combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles and potentially even a carbon neutral internal combustion engine." Low incomes, high import duties, unreliable power availability and a lack of sufficient charging infrastructure have long hampered manufacturers' efforts to sell EVs in South Africa, whose share of total sales is still very low. On Chinese competition, Kirby said while he welcomes competition, "it's a very strategic concern for us and we need to make sure that we respond in the right way and as quickly as possible. It's a big challenge." South Africa's automotive sector "is at an inflection point," he added, with fairly flat production volumes, a drop in local content and a surge in imported vehicle sales. This has prompted the big local seven car manufacturers, including Toyota, BMW, Isuzu and Volkswagen, to put together a policy recommendation document sent to the trade and industry minister, on how to support and protect the local industry, Kirby said. "We do have some taxation structures that are a little bit counterproductive and so we've made some fiscally neutral policy proposals," Kirby said, adding that proposals also include the restructuring of the rebate system. "We are hoping that in the next six months there will be some short-term interventions that can be announced." Toyota has production operations in South Africa but its fully EV models will be imported initially, with the aim of making some in South Africa eventually.
AsiaOne
10 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Compensation, rehousing options crucial to flat owners from older estates selling their flats under Vers, Singapore News
The size of the compensation package and rehousing options will weigh heavily in their decision to sell their HDB flats back to the Government under the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (Vers), elderly residents living in older estates have said. They were reacting to National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat's remarks in an interview that his ministry aims to use the current term of Parliament to develop the policy framework for the scheme. This includes identifying possible sites where the scheme will be first offered, ensuring that there are sufficient homes for those involved to relocate to, and working out a fair compensation package for residents whose flats are taken back early. Once the policy parameters are in place, Vers will be progressively offered to a 'few selected' sites likely from the first half of the next decade when the flats there are about 70 years old, Chee said. Vers was first announced by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2018 to allow the Government to buy back flats nearing their 99-year lease by compensating residents and redeveloping the land. It addresses the issue of lease decay and the resulting decline in value of older flats. While Chee's comments on Aug 10 mark the Government's latest update on Vers, most of the 12 residents from older estates such as Ang Mo Kio and Bedok whom AsiaOne spoke to were unaware of what the scheme entails. Ang Mo Kio resident Claire Chiam said that she will consider the implications to her retirement nest if the Government offers to buy back her flat. The 70-year-old retiree moved into the three-room flat on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 a year ago. It was built in 1978. 'I don't know what's the arrangement, I hope it will not be like Sers (Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme) where the residents there still have to cough up cash to buy (a) similar-sized flat. And there were people not happy about it,' Chiam said. 'Unless it is for downgrading, Old people like us don't have that much cash and CPF already.' Unlike Sers, Vers is voluntary where residents will vote on whether the project goes ahead. In his interview, Chee said that the compensation terms for Vers will be less generous than those chosen under Sers, as the flats chosen will be older, and hence, less money. One Bedok resident, who wanted to be known as Tang, said she will be looking at the replacement homes offered before making a decision. 'If they are further from where I live right now, it will be at a disadvantage,' said the 63-year-old part-time retail assistant. Speaking to AsiaOne, Eugene Lim, key executive officer of ERA Singapore, said that implementing Vers is a 'significant undertaking' that requires 'sensitivity and prudence'. 'There are also concerns that compensation could be lower than under Sers. Therefore, this could lead to some older owners having to weigh the affordability of replacement homes carefully, and as a result, they may be reluctant to participate in Vers,' he said. 'This could, in turn, dampen participation and increase its complexity.' Since flats built in the 70s would have natural wear and tear that can make living conditions less attractive and comfortable, Lim said that these owners will be hoping that their blocks are identified for Vers. Chee said that several older estates were rapidly built in the 1970s and 1980s to meet the urgent housing demand. According to ERA Singapore, 356 blocks were built in Ang Mo Kio during this period, and about 39,600 new flats were sold by HDB then. In Bedok, 419 blocks were completed, with about 47,000 new flats sold. In the 1980s, 494 blocks were built in Tampines and 487 blocks in Yishun. In each town, more than 40,000 new units were sold. Lim said that offering incentives, such as giving flat owners priority in selecting a replacement home within their current location, could lead to higher take ups for Vers. But Ang Mo Kio resident Ng Kim Wan said that the decaying lease of his 40-year-old flat is not an issue, and would rather stay there until the end of his life. The 75-year-old retiree said: 'Vers is good for the younger home owners to get a flat with a longer lease. It's not for older folks whose children are not living with us. 'I will have to adapt to living in a new flat, a new environment. And where can I find the money for renovation and furniture?' [[nid:721026]] Chingshijie@
Business Times
13 hours ago
- Business Times
Geely profit beats estimates amid reshuffle, sector scrutiny
[HONG KONG] Geely Automobile Holdings' first-half profit beat estimates as sales soared and the carmaker sought to reduce costs, even as the wider Chinese auto industry faces regulatory scrutiny over a long-running price war. The results incorporate a change in accounting policy, announced in April, that's been applied retrospectively. Under the new method, net income dropped 14 per cent from a year earlier to 9.3 billion yuan (S$1.7 billion) in the six months ended Jun 30. That compares with the 7.6 billion yuan expected by analysts. Revenue climbed 27 per cent to 150.3 billion yuan, the Hong Kong-listed arm of billionaire Li Shufu's auto empire said on Thursday. Vehicle deliveries rose 47 per cent in the first half to 1.4 million units. The robust start to the year prompted Geely in July to lift its full-year target to three million cars from 2.7 million. Geely has sought to streamline its sprawling network of businesses as it looks to take on the likes of BYD, China's best-selling carmaker. That includes taking the US-listed premium electric vehicle brand Zeekr private, after which Zeekr chief executive officer Andy An will become the CEO for the wider Geely group. The acquisition of Lynk&Co by Zeekr, which included a partial payment of 6.4 billion yuan, saw total borrowings surge 162 per cent to 19.9 billion yuan as at the end of June compared with December last year. The Hangzhou-based company's consolidation efforts are starting to show results, and it's narrowing the gap in sales with BYD in the China market. Not including seasonal fluctuations due to Chinese New Year holidays, the difference of 61,000 vehicles between the two carmakers' domestic deliveries in July is the smallest in about three years. BYD's overall sales grew 33 per cent in the first six months of this year. Meanwhile, Chinese car manufacturers are facing heightened scrutiny from authorities over the industry's long-running price war that's squeezing margins across the entire auto supply chain. The sector is also facing the winding down of a national trade-in subsidy, with the combination of factors likely to weigh on sales. Still, analysts are optimistic for Geely's performance in the second half of the year, with upcoming product launches such as the hybrid A7 sedan from mass market brand Galaxy and the luxury hybrid 9X sport utility vehicle from Zeekr likely to continue to drive volumes. BLOOMBERG
