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Let me spare you the hackneyed truisms about “emerging” Chinese car brands. By now we can accept that they have already emerged. More SA consumers are opting for once unfamiliar marques over famed legacy brands. And as automakers from China set up shop in the country, that momentum is likely to grow.
But as noted countless times before, originality does not seem to be a strong suit when it comes to the Chinese contenders. Their approach, as many models evidence, is to create facsimiles of aspirational products, equip them with desired creature comforts, give them veneers of quality and sell them at prices one would be imprudent to dismiss.
Last week a test of the BYD Atto 8 plug-in hybrid left me ruminating over my coffee. Could this be the first Chinese car sold in SA with a genuinely upmarket feel beyond the surface materials? And could this be one of the first Chinese models sold in the country with a genuinely unique identity?
You can accuse the Atto 8 of being bland, but it does not come across as being a blatant copy of an existing European player. The stylistic language is plain, with clean lines, a simple front and rear design, sporting the BYD logos and distinctive illumination.
Pulling the (retracting and ejecting) door handle to get behind the wheel reveals one of the best Chinese car interiors experienced yet. Now, the overall appearance is nothing groundbreaking: the big central screen and uncluttered, sweeping fascia is typical of many modern cars. But the quality and details are of an impressive standard.
It puts a person in mind of certain German premium products — not so much the appearance but the textures. The grain of the upholstery is buttery, the size of the seats, their lateral bolsters and lower squabs envelop the body and the physical switchgear elements operate with satisfying tactility. You just know the engineers tore-down similarly sized cars from the established legacy brands in a bid to emulate specific touchpoints — and they have done so quite convincingly.
Once upon a time, the go-to choice for a well-to-do executive with a family was a D-segment premium sedan. Think Audi A6, BMW 5 Series or Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Times have changed and spacious sport-utility vehicles have supplanted the traditional three-box in popularity.
The Atto 8 would comfortably fit the bill for a four-member household. It is a long vehicle, at 5,040mm; with a height of 1,760mm and 1,996mm width. It may not look like it from the outside but the 2,950mm wheelbase accommodates a third row of seats.
There is one offering in the range, wearing the official handle of Atto 8 Performance DM-P AWD. For the R1,259,900 sticker price it is filled to the brim with standard features — from a panoramic roof to semi-autonomous driving functions, seats that massage, ventilate and heat, as well as the surround-view camera system which has become expected in 2026.
Similar money would put you into smaller premium sport-utility vehicle picks like the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Audi Q5.
The Atto 8 struck me as a more attainable alternative to something like a Mercedes-AMG EQE 4Matic+ which carries a price tag of R3,042,482 these days. Different leagues of course but closely matched in certain respects. After all, the BYD does have the word Performance in its title — and not without reason either.
While the Mercedes-AMG is a full-electric vehicle, the BYD is a hybrid, packing a 1.5l turbocharged-petrol with electric assistance enabling a combined 359kW/675Nm output. That allows for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.9 seconds. The Mercedes-AMG is just over a second quicker but, we should not forget, costs more than twice as much.
Though the Atto 8 is a quick sprinter, open-road cruising is its forte. The quiet hybrid powertrain complements the refined cabin ambience. It is the kind of vehicle that makes you relish long stints on the freeway. The adaptive suspension system, which adjusts firmness or relaxes shock travel accordingly, works a treat.
But low-speed rumble strips did catch the relatively low-profile 265/45/21 wheels out at times. As noted with the compact BYD Dolphin Surf, even the Atto 8 does without a spare wheel. Instead, buyers get a repair kit.
When we asked about provisions in an emergency at the Dolphin Surf launch event, representatives said roadside assistance services were prepared to help customers get mobile again. But this is not something you want to be trialling from the roadside as the sun sets after hitting a pothole on holiday in Mpumalanga.
Quoted range in the BYD driven on electric power alone is 130km, with the hybrid system using engine and battery in tandem, the prospect is 844km. The average consumption returned by the engine was 7.8l/100km while the electric motor registered 1.4kWh/100km. The Atto 8 has a battery capacity of 35.6kWh and a 60l fuel tank.
Sweetening the deal is a five-year/100,000km maintenance plan, warranty is of the same duration, with a separate eight-year/200,000km cover for the battery.
Perhaps the only thing that might deter you in favour of an established legacy brand is that BYD is still a new player in the country. As such it remains to prove its standards of aftersales service and parts availability, as well as the strength of resale values. There are over 30 dealerships in the country.
Sowetan
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