BYD Philippines is bringing in the ATTO 3 e-SUV within the year.

Just recently, AC Motors of the Ayala Group acquired exclusive distributorship of BYD vehicles in the Philippines as part of their push for EVs.

Now BYD Philippines is gunning for 12 dealerships within 12 months, as well as introducing the ATTO 3 electric vehicle.

This announcement comes at a time when the global automotive industry is pivoting towards sustainable transportation, a pivot being echoed by local car brands.

New BYD Philippines president Toti Zara made the announcement, stating: "Aside from the current models, it's our intention to introduce the ATTO 3 within the year. So, stronger brand, stronger team and network, stronger product portfolio. At price points that are now within reach of more Filipinos."

The ATTO 3 is BYD's first sporty E-SUV, and it's designed to cater to the growing demand for electric mobility solutions.

It has a length of about 4.4 meters, a width of about 1.8 meters and 175mm of ground clearance. These dimensions give it a 440 liter boot volume that can be increased to 1340 liters with the space maximized.

The ATTO 3 was built on the ground up using BYD's e-Platform 3.0, an architecture that's solely engineered for EVs.

Under the hood, the ATTO 3's permanent-magnet asynchronous motor pumps out 201 horsepower and 310 Nm peak torque. More than enough to propel the 2160 kg SUV to 100 km/h from standstill in just 7.3 seconds.

BYD is also considered to be the leading battery manufacturer, with their compact Blade batteries offering lighter weight, more rigidity and better space utilization.

The ATTO 3 comes with two battery options, 48 kwH and 60 kwH, providing approximately 400 and 521 kilometers of range respectively, ensuring that range anxiety, a common concern among EV owners, is kept at bay.

At this time, AC Motors and BYD Philippines have not announced if both battery options will be available at launch.

The interior of the ATTO 3 is furnished with modern amenities such as a 12.8" intelligent rotating touch screen, Bluetooth phone connectivity, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and synthetic leather seats. Safety features include seven airbags, including front double airbags, front seat side airbags, far-side airbag, remote side airbags in the driver's side, and load limit pretensioner safety belts.