BYD reveals flagship 7-seat electric SUV with over 400 miles of range — SkimNews
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- BYD unveiled the Atto 8 flagship seven-seat electric SUV at the Paris Auto Show — the company's first European vehicle featuring its second-generation Blade Batteries and new Flash Charging system, described as enabling recharging "just as fast as filling up at the gas station."
- The Flash Charging system takes just five minutes to recharge the Atto 8 from 10% to 80%, and a full 10% to 97% in nine minutes — about a third of the time rival SUVs need, per BYD.
- Even at temperatures as low as -30°C, the Atto 8's battery recharges from 20% to 97% in only 12 minutes, according to BYD, addressing one of the key cold-weather pain points for EVs.
- Two variants are offered: the Design RWD with a single 456 hp motor and up to 405 miles (600+ km) of WLTP range on a 115 kWh Blade 2.0 battery, and the Excellence AWD adding a front motor for 764 hp combined, 0-62 mph in 4.6 seconds, and 374 miles of range.
- Measuring 5,040 mm long, the Atto 8 is comparable in size to the Hyundai IONIQ 9 and Kia EV9, and features a 15.6-inch central infotainment touchscreen with Google Built-in plus a 26-inch head-up display.
- Stella Li, BYD's executive vice president, called the Atto 8 the "perfect example" of BYD "turning intelligence into reality," with European dealer sales beginning in Q1 2027 and UK pricing expected to start above £47,995 ($65,000).
Why it matters: BYD's claim of a five-minute recharge from 10% to 80% directly challenges the refueling convenience gap that has kept some European buyers from switching to EVs, and the Atto 8's sub-£48,000 UK entry positions it below the current ~€54,000 sale price of the BYD Tang it's set to sit alongside. If the Flash Charging spec holds in real-world use, it pressures full-size rivals like the Hyundai IONIQ 9 and Kia EV9 to match both charging speed and cold-weather performance by the 2027 sales date.
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