Japanese experts dismantle BYD’s Atto 3 and are shocked by what they discover

Retroengineering is essential in the automotive industry. It is part of the game and all brands assume and accept that their rivals are going to try to copy what they know. It’s no secret that brands spy on each other. It is common for engineers of a brand test competing models to discover where they can improve. This policy is applied throughout the world, from the United States to China, through Europe and also Japan. The Japanese may have the most to learn when it comes to electric cars, but What they have just discovered has left them with more unknowns than answers. The disassembly of a BYD Atto 3 has been the key.

Along with Tesla, BYD has become the largest dominant force in the international electricity market. Those from Shenzhen are capable of producing and developing vehicles at a dizzying pace. There is not a week that they do not present a new model or the update of one already on sale. Its international presence is total, although Japan is a very limited market in terms of electric cars.. They barely represent 1% of total registrations and there are few brands that dare, except the Japanese of course, to launch into the commercial adventure. BYD is one of them.

BYD has an advantage thanks to its own circular ecosystem

He BYD Atto 3 It was the company’s first model to arrive on the island. Since then, the Chinese have added two more units, the Dolphin and the Seal. There, as here, the sales prices stand out. An Atto 3 is available from 4.4 million yen, about 26,765 euros at the currency exchange rate. It’s a very attractive price by Japanese standards. Although the product is well known to everyone, the surprise of the Japanese has come when it comes to reviewing the insides of the vehicle. The Central Japan Economic and Trade Office has held a seminar to explore trends in battery electric vehicles. Nearly 70 local component companies have attended an event where more than 90,000 parts and 16 foreign electric vehicles have been exhibited.

From Tesla’s Model Y to NIO’s ET5, including, of course, BYD’s Atto 3. It was the latter that took center stage. Everyone attending the event was surprised by the construction and engineering of the car. The Japanese cannot explain how BYD is able to produce at such a low cost. One of the main conclusions drawn from the fair is the advantage that BYD has in the field of batteries. The battery of an electric car can account for a third of the total production cost and BYD is currently the second largest manufacturer of batteries for electric vehicles in the world. Only surpassed by CATL.

The company not only develops the batteries, almost all the components are local or in-house, except for the windows and tires. With its own ecosystem, it is logical that BYD can bring down prices, not only in Japan but in the rest of the world. Brands like Toyota, Nissan, Honda or Mazda have been too slow in adopting electric cars. Many experts assure that this excessive tranquility could be a serious problem in the coming years once the industry and registrations have expanded. The Japanese are working on evolved technologies and systems that they ensure will be ready when the electric car is truly a global demand.