[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD is moving to target the European market with a large electric SUV that can charge its battery from 10 percent to 80 percent in 5 minutes. Its strategy is to apply next-generation batteries and ultra-fast charging technology to the seven-seat flagship model, the Ato 8, to improve range and charging time at the same time.

On Oct. 12 local time, electric vehicle outlet Electrek reported that BYD unveiled the Ato 8 at the Paris Motor Show. The model is the first vehicle BYD is introducing to the European market that applies its second-generation Blade battery and flash-charging technology.

The Ato 8 is equipped with a 115 kWh Blade 2.0 battery. The rear-wheel-drive model has a maximum WLTP range of 405 miles, about 652 km. BYD said it has secured a range sufficient to travel from London to Edinburgh.

Charging performance is a key competitive strength of the Ato 8. BYD said that using the flash-charging system takes 5 minutes to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent, and 9 minutes to charge from 10 percent to 97 percent. In a low-temperature environment of minus 30 degrees Celsius, it takes 12 minutes to charge from 20 percent to 97 percent. BYD stressed this is about one-third of the time it takes rival SUVs to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent.

Stella Li (스텔라 리), a BYD vice president, introduced the Ato 8 at the Paris Motor Show as a representative model featuring the latest innovative technologies. She said BYD is focusing on making intelligence a reality, and cited the second-generation Blade battery and flash-charging system as key technologies.

The vehicle measures 5,040 mm in length, 1,996 mm in width and 1,760 mm in height. It is in the large electric SUV class that can compete with Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq 9 and Kia’s EV9. The powertrain lineup consists of rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.

The rear-wheel-drive model uses a single motor with a maximum output of 456 horsepower and peak torque of 365 Nm. It takes 8 seconds to accelerate from a standstill to 100 km per hour. The all-wheel-drive Excellence model adds a front motor for a combined 764 horsepower and 775 Nm of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km per hour in 4.6 seconds, and has a WLTP range of 374 miles, about 602 km.

Inside, it features a 2.39-square-metre panoramic glass roof, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 26-inch head-up display and a 15.6-inch center display. The infotainment system supports Google Built-in.

Convenience features also target demand for large seven-seat SUVs. The front seats and the outer seats in the second row have heated, ventilated and massage functions, and rear passengers can use a separate climate-control panel. All seats are finished in natural leather. The rear-wheel-drive model has a 10-speaker audio system, while the Excellence model includes a Dsound audio system with 21 speakers and a front refrigerated storage compartment.

Cargo space is up to 1,960 liters with the second and third rows folded. With all third-row seats upright, it still provides 270 liters of trunk space, and the front trunk has a capacity of 136 liters.

European sales are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027. Pricing has not been disclosed. BYD plans to position the Ato 8 above the Ti 7, a seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV.

BYD is already selling the seven-seat electric SUV Tang in Europe. In Germany, the Tang’s regular starting price is about 75,000 euros, about 111.7 million won, but it is currently being sold for 47,990 euros, about 71.5 million won. How BYD sets the Ato 8’s pricing and sales strategy against existing models is cited as a factor in gauging BYD’s competitiveness in Europe’s large electric SUV market.