The BYD ATTO 3 has been extremely well-received by the Singaporean buyer. So much so that it was the best-selling electric crossover of 2022.

Authorised Distributor Vantage Automotive quietly introduced an additional variant to both the 100kW and 150kW versions of the ATTO 3. Dubbed the CarbonEdge, they featured several upgrades over the base versions of the cars.

The Design

BYD has drawn heavy inspiration from an oriental icon in the design of the ATTO 3. We’re talking about dragons, of course. It sports what the Chinese automaker has dubbed “Dragon Face 3.0”. And this is no more apparent up front, especially in the shape of its headlights.

Several other dragon-inspired cues can also be found elsewhere on the car, such as the scale-like trim panel on the C-pillar. The car is generally inoffensive as a whole, with several continental-like styling features from several angles.

That’s because the ATTO 3 has been styled by the same boffins that also sketched several high-performance electric sports cars from another German manufacturer.

Under the Bonnet

The Category A-friendly ATTO 3 makes a software-capped 100kW. Torque remains untouched, rated at 310 Nm. Off the line, you do not feel the effects of this limitation, and the car pulls strong from a standstill to the posted speed limit.

This gives you sufficient drive to still out accelerate most ICE cars on the road. The missing 50kW is really only missed when you are attempting to make last-minute overtaking manoeuvres on the expressway.

Driving cautiously and with greater overall sense of spatial awareness, you’d easily achieve range estimates close to the homologated figures. With the way we were driving, our test car could realistically cover about 400 kilometres on a single charge.

Driving sensibly is also the best way to handle the car. The ATTO 3 is far from what you’d deem as a dynamic vehicle, with suspension obviously geared for passenger comfort over handling prowess.

The CarbonEdge Difference

The CarbonEdge package sees the biggest changes applied to the inside of the vehicle. Gone are the blue and white seats of the base car. In doing so, it appeals to a greater pool of buyers, especially of those that would have bought an ATTO 3, but were turned off by the unconventional default seat colours.

This makeover extends to several other panels in the cabin. What was once finished in a white, soft-touch vinyl, has been retrimmed in a synthetic black leather. The end result? A more conventional cabin that feels significantly more upmarket.

And speaking of the cabin, the ATTO 3 has excellent overall packaging. Ergonomics are fairly sound inside. All seats offer brilliant all-round support, though we find that the bolsters on the front seats are a tad excessive, considering the car’s pedigree and performance.

Externally, these CarbonEdge cars gain a black roof and C-pillars. Badges and trim panels have also been mostly dechromed. One final change can be found when you pop the bonnet. It now has a frunk, though it is worth noting that this really doesn’t drastically change the overall cargo capacity of the car.

Riding The Electric Wave

The ATTO 3 could very well be the first truly affordable alternative to owning an ICE vehicle when it was originally launched. And the car still remains competitive one year on.

The Koreans, Japanese and Europeans may all have various electric crossover offerings at this point, but they all come at a significant premium. And whilst there are Chinese cars that are comparably priced, they have some technical catching up to do. This is even though some of these companies have recently launched heavily reworked versions of their electric crossovers.

The CarbonEdge treatment addresses some points of concern buyers may have had with the original car’s unconventional interior. And it does so whilst preserving what made the car such a hot seller in the first place!

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