PARIS: At the 2026 Paris Motor Show, BYD has introduced its new flagship Atto 8 SUV (sport utility vehicle).
The seven-seater introduces Flash Charging technology to the BYD range for 10% to 97% refills in only nine minutes.
Dealers across European markets will start selling the Atto 8 in the first quarter of 2027.
BYD's new flagship comes in two all-electric versions, allowing customers to choose between rear- and all-wheel drive.
The Design RWD edition has a single rear motor producing 462PS (340kW) and 365Nm of torque – ensuring a 0-100kph acceleration time of just eight seconds.
The 115kWh battery offers a WLTP combined range of 405 miles or 652km – enough to get from London to Edinburgh, for example.
The Excellence AWD, meanwhile, has an additional front motor that takes the maximum system output up to 775PS (570kW) and 775Nm of torque, delivering a sports car-rivalling 0-100kph acceleration time of just 4.6 seconds.
This version shares the same battery capacity as the RWD model and even with the extra performance, the WLTP combined range is still 374 miles or 602km.
The Atto 8 is the first BYD model in Europe to be equipped with a second generation Blade Battery, allowing Flash Charging that slashes the times normally required for electric refills.
Flash Charging can take even the Atto 8's sizeable 115kWh battery from 10% to 70% of its capacity in just five minutes, and from 10% to 97% in only nine minutes.
The Flash Charging network expansion will see 3,000 stations installed across Europe by end-2027.
BYD executive vice president Stella Li said, "As a technology company, BYD is all about turning intelligence into reality – and the Atto 8 is the perfect example of this. It blends our latest powertrain and 2nd Generation Blade Battery to offer more than 600km of range, seven-seat flexibility and our latest innovations in cabin technology."
"And Flash Charging is the breakthrough for EVs that everyone has been waiting for – recharging as fast as refuelling, removing range anxiety."
The Atto 8 measures 5,040mm long, 1,996mm wide and 1,760mm tall.
The front features ultra-slim integrated daytime-running lights and matrix-LED headlights.
At the rear, 'infinity knot' tail-lights sit either side of an illuminated central BYD logo, and there's a neatly integrated roof spoiler.
The interior is bathed in natural light, thanks to a 2.39m2 panoramic glass roof.
Both versions of the Atto 8 feature a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel, a 26-inch widescreen head-up display and a 15.6-inch central infotainment touchscreen that brings Google Built-in for Google Navigation, Google Assistant and Google Play Store.
The two third-row seats feature adjustable headrests for extra support and comfort, while the rear cabin gets its own air-conditioning control panel (tri-zone climate control is standard) and a pair of cupholders in the armrest.
All the seats, in both versions of the car, are upholstered in genuine leather.
Creature comforts include a 10-speaker sound system on the Design RWD version and 21-speaker DiSound audio on the Excellence AWD, plus a front refrigerator that can cool to -6°C and warm to 50°C.
All occupants can keep their devices fully charged too, thanks to dual 50W wireless smartphone charging and dual 60W Type C ports up front, and a pair of additional Type C ports (1x18W, 1x60W) in the rear.
Even with all three rows in use, there is still 270 litres of luggage capacity.
And this can be expanded to 1,960 litres with the middle and rear rows folded down.
This space is complimented by a 136-litre 'frunk' (front trunk) that is large enough for overnight cases.
