This slightly smaller sibling to the Yuan Pro (aka Atto 3) will go on sale in China early next year.
For those who want a BYD e-crossover but think that the Atto 3 is just too big, the Chinese automaker might soon just have a solution to your conundrum with its soon-to-arrive Yuan UP.
Leaked recently by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) as it goes through its pre-launch homologation process, CarNewsChina.com reports for this new Yuan UP to likely slot beneath the aforementioned Atto 3 (aka Yuan Pro) in BYD’s current lineup of Yuan-named crossovers in China. Though likely only just, as its since-leaked exterior dimensions of 4,310 x 1,830 x 1,675 mm and wheelbase of 2,620 mm actually puts it to be almost exactly the same size as the Proton X50 over here.
Rather interestingly too, BYD has decided to give this smallest of its crossovers a rather more mature exterior aesthetic relative to its more curvaceous Atto 3 big brother. Design highlights with this new Yuan UP includes a sharp-looking front bumper with a pair of stylised hoops on its lower edge, with the same design touch carried on to its chunky side cladding.
And while it might totally be a function of cars just looking homogenous these days, the rear light bar and floating island roof does lend it an air of Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV on this Yuan UP’s curvaceous rump. It has also since been leaked that a panoramic sunroof and a different design for its C-pillar is an option, along with larger 17-inch alloys that replace the standard 16-inch turbine style items.
As for what drives said wheels meanwhile, the MIIT leak reveals for the Yuan UP can had with a front electric motor that outputs either 70 kW or 130 kW. Other key tech specs that has since made known with this new BYD are its top speed of 160 km/h, and the its weight: 1,430 kg for the less-powerful one and 1,540 kg for the higher-powered variant.
What is as yet unknown however is the capacity of the batteries that will be driving said motor. But it is almost certain for this new e-crossover to be powered by BYD’s signature Blade cells.
Unfortunately too, interior details of the Yuan UP remains a mystery thus far. Though the Chinese automaker’s similarly-signature central rotatable screen should be expected within this upcoming arrival, which should apparently land in China some time in the first half of next year, with a rather attractive price tag of around CNY 100,000 (RM 65,000) to boot too.
So if it did ever come to Malaysia within the tax-free period, this Yuan UP could actually foreseeably cost around the RM 120k mark. A prospect that should surely be a cause for concern to Proton and its bread-and-butter X50…
