Look Out For Your Chips, The Seagull Is Coming!

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The BYD Seagull has just been launched in Australia. This global best seller is bound to shake up the market. In Australia, it is called the Atto 1, a surprisingly simply name that identifies where it fits in the BYD lineup. It is smaller and has less range than its big brother the Atto 2, and of course the grandad Atto 3.

Sold as a Seagull in China, a Dolphin Surf in the UK, and a Dolphin Mini in South America, the Atto 1 has sold over one million units globally. It reached this milestone within 3 years of its Chinese launch. Look out, Toyota Yaris, the Seagull is coming for your chips! The car frequently features in the top 20 of sales in reports on CleanTechnica. At AU$24,000 I expect that the car will join the Atto 2 on the Australian hit list shortly.

The Atto 2 debuted at #6 on the November Australian best sellers list.

But, what do you get for your money? Drive describes the Atto 1 as “cheap, cheerful and charismatic,” giving it an overall rating of 7.9 out of 10. The Atto 1 has achieved a safety rating of 5 in the EU. I think it will be an ideal replacement for mum’s petrol-powered school taxi/shopping trolley or junior’s first car. It only seats 4. I doubt if anyone will be driving around Australia in an electric car with only 220 km (137 miles) of range – though, we are an adventurous bunch who like to take on a challenge.

Let’s look at the chips the Seagull is after: The Suzuki Swift base model starts at AU$25,000. That’s a manual hybrid with a 3-star safety rating. Another competitor in the affordable car race is the Mazda 2 at AU$27,000. The Toyota Yaris hybrid starts at about AU$29,000 — but at least you get an automatic and a 5-star safety rating. Of course, you could always go for a petrol MG 3 at AU$22,000 and 4 stars for safety. The Atto 1 not only has a better price; it also comes loaded with tech. Does the petrol competition have voice control? Over-the-air updates? Vehicle to load?

Price parity is firmly in the rear-view mirror. Not only that, but it is obvious that the BYD Atto 1 is undercutting its fossil fuelled competition, just as its slightly larger big brother the Atto 2 is doing in the next size segment. Expect to see more. Another niche in the car market about to be electrified! Rumour has it that Geely is bringing in an EX2. Stay tuned. One of our readers commented: “I envy the options that you have.”

The Atto 1 is available in two options: Essential and Premium. The Essential is touted on BYD’s website as a compact, electric city car. No pretensions — no one is claiming it will tow your boat to the beach on the weekend (that’s a job for the BYD Shark!).

Apart from a funky yellow (called “pine lime” — sounds like a cocktail), other colours are the usual boring white, black, and grey with fancy names. Specifications for the base model, Essential, are good for the price: 0–100 km/h in about 11 seconds, with maximum power of 65 kW from a 30 kWh LFP battery. The Atto 1 is designed for home charging with a maximum rate of 11 kW. Twin digital screens make it easy for the driver to have essential information behind the wheel, while the screen to one side manages the infotainment.

Will the teenagers enjoy driving their Atto 1 as their “first car”? Highly likely, as Drive describes it as “a hoot to handle,” adding “like all tiny hatchbacks, the wheels of the Atto 1 Premium are pushed right to the corners, making it easy and engaging to toss it around a bend.” Admittedly, it was a little noisy on the highway — but so what, they probably won’t be able to hear that over their loud music anyway!

Don’t be fooled by the looks on the outside. Like most electric vehicles, the Atto 1 has the Tardis-like ability to be bigger on the inside than you might expect. There’s plenty of room for shopping and school bags, with a boot that will hold 308 litres (that’s a lot of beer for dad) and that can be expanded to 1037 L when you fold down the back seats. Of course, then you will have to leave the kids at the shops!

Check out the video here:

For the same money, you can get a high-tech Chinese electric car or an out-of-date Japanese deathtrap from Suzuki. Only a braindead zombie would pick the Suzy! Lift your game, Suzuki.

In a few years, these affordable little hatchbacks will hit the second-hand car market. They will be bargain priced and allow even more Australians to discover the fun of electric driving.

As always, enthusiasts have started a Facebook page for the Atto 1, and I have joined to sample the conversation. At present, the main concerns expressed are around communication with dealerships and the provision of delivery dates. So far, this is similar to what has happened with every other Facebook community on the imminent arrival of a new model.

At present, the Atto 1 is only being delivered in Melbourne (2000 km away from my hometown of Brisbane). So, the local dealer was unable to show me a model. It is expected here sometime in the first quarter of next year. Thankfully, new owner Josep Kim shared his delivery experience and photos through Facebook, so I could publish them for you with his permission. 

The Seagull has landed! Another niche in the EV ecosystem is filled by BYD. Expect more conquest sales as aging tech is superseded. It is an incredible time to be alive to watch this transition. As ever, the future is bright and electric.