TOKYO - Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD Co. on Tuesday launched an updated version of its Atto 3 mid-size sport utility vehicle in Japan, aiming to boost sales amid rising global demand for EVs driven by soaring oil prices.
The BYD Atto 3 EX, available in four-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive, can travel 150 kilometers further on a single charge than the previous model. It also features improved maximum capacity for rapid charging and a newly fitted console that can both cool and heat items, according to BYD Auto Japan, the automaker's Japanese unit.
Of the 2.67 million EVs the Chinese carmaker sold globally in the eight months through August, sales outside the Chinese market came to 1.16 million, up 86 percent year-on-year, due largely to rising demand from consumers switching from petrol cars in the face of skyrocketing oil prices, BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji said.
Meanwhile, BYD's EV sales in the Chinese market, where the economy is slowing and domestic competition is fierce, dropped 41 percent year-on-year to 1.51 million units in the January-August period.
Since entering the Japanese auto market in 2023, BYD has launched six models.
Aiming to make all new passenger vehicle sales electric by 2035, the Japanese government has been offering subsidies to promote purchases of more environmentally friendly cars, such as EVs, fuel cell vehicles and plug-in hybrid EVs.
