Last week, Ayala Corporation’s AC Motors made it official - they are the new official BYD distributor in the Philippines. This comes after newly-appointed AC Motors head Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala announced that the partnership between AC Motors and BYD will be a cornerstone of the group’s ultimate goal of accelerating the future of mobility in the Philippines.

Not only that, industry veteran Toti Zara will be the one to lead BYD Philippines as its president and CEO. Under his leadership, Zara said that he wants the EV brand to have a strong dealership network in order to complement its technology. For its first year, Zara plans to have 12 operational BYD dealerships.

When it comes to its vehicle offerings, BYD currently has the Dolphin, Han, and Tang nameplates. But in order to attract more customers, the company will also be launching an all-new model that is aimed to cause a stir in the B-segment crossover market.

That vehicle is the BYD Atto 3, and it’s set to arrive in the Philippines before the year ends. Also called the Yuan Plus EV in its home market, the Atto 3 serves as BYD’s B-SUV fighter and aimed to square up against the likes of the MG ZS EV.

The official specifications of the Atto 3 for the Philippines are not yet available. But a quick look at what other markets get gives us an idea of what to expect. It has a front-mounted electric motor that puts out 204 PS and 310 Nm of torque. It can go from 0 - 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds and has an estimated range of 400 km when fitted with a 52.5 kWh battery pack. Opt for the Extended Range variant and it gets a bigger 63.8 kWh battery - boosting its range to 480 km.

Recharging the Atto 3 can be done in several ways. First is via the onboard Type 2 7kW AC charger which can fully recharge the battery in around 8 to 8.5 hours. Next is the faster DC charging system which is rated for 100 kW. BYD estimates that it can recharge the Atto 3 from 20% to 80% in as little as 30 to 45 minutes. However, we might only get the Type 2 AC charging system as AC Motors said that they will focus on AC systems given the complexity of a DC charger.

When it comes to in-car amenities, the Atto 3 has plenty to offer. First is a massive 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment that can be oriented in either landscape or portrait. There’s also a fully-digital 5-inch instrument panel, an 8-speaker sound system, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto connectivity, a wireless charging pad, smart keyless entry with remote start, and a large panoramic sunroof.

Size-wise, the Atto 3 measures 4455mm long, 1875mm wide, 1615mm tall, and has a 2720mm wheelbase. Compared to MG ZS EV, the Atto 3 is longer by 132mm, wider by 66mm, taller by 4mm, and has 135mm of extra wheelbase. The Atto 3’s larger and more spacious dimensions were made possible thanks to the e-platform 3.0 which is a dedicated EV architecture.

With no exact date yet as to when the BYD Atto 3 will arrive in the country, all we can do for now is patiently wait for more details to be revealed (or leaked).