2027 BYD Atto 3 and Atto 2 due within months, rear-wheel drive Atto 3 flagship confirmed

BYD Australia has confirmed a significantly updated Atto 3 will land in the third quarter of 2026, marking the first major overhaul of the electric SUV since it went on sale locally.

Making up approximately 20 per cent of BYD's local sales to date, the Atto 3 will expand from front-drive only to include a rear-wheel-drive flagship.

An updated Atto 2 will also follow shortly after, with the smaller SUV likely to add a plug-in hybrid PHEV variant to its current EV-only lineup.

"There'll be significant upgrades for Atto 2 and Atto 3; they will be imminent," said Paul Ellis, Public Relations Director for BYD Australia.

MORE: 2027 BYD Atto 3 Evo to hedge bets on rear-wheel drive in Australia

"They're really important cars for us. The brand was built on the Atto 3, and this is the first significant update for Atto 3 since it's been sold in Australia."

While all-wheel drive versions of the Atto 3 are available in other markets, Ellis confirmed it will not be not part of the local update.

"All-wheel drive is not in our consideration. It is overseas, [but] we're not doing it here," Ellis said.

MORE: BYD Atto 2 update to follow larger Atto 3 with switch to rear-wheel drive

Asked whether a rear-driven Atto 3 would sit at the top of the range as a premium offering, the answer was construed as a yes – with a nod to Australia's rear-drive past.

"It would have the performance that would bring back some charm to aficionados that like rear-drive performance," Ellis said.

"If you look at the power outputs of our electric vehicles, these are outputs that were equivalent to normally aspirated petrol V8s that we were making here in Australia a little while ago.

"It's a bit of a paradox, really, when you think about it: you've got old-fashioned performance but with clean, new energy."

MORE: BYD triples owner compensation offer as build-date mix-up expands

Despite the reference to V8-rivalling outputs, BYD is not planning a 'Performance' badge in the mould of the Shark 6 Performance.

Pricing also remains an open question; the Atto 3 has been one of the more affordable electric SUVs on the market, and adding a more powerful drivetrain and updated technology is unlikely to come cost-free.

"Technology doesn't come for free, there's a cost to the factory, there's a cost to us," he said.

MOPRE: BYD and Tesla beat Toyota and Mazda in touchscreen distraction test

"We need to keep our market position.

"We also need to be real with bringing product to market and making sure it makes sense from a business case.

"We try and keep those costs as low as we can, and we do have the advantage [that] most of our suppliers are us – it's BYD."

MORE: Tesla small SUV to rival BYD Atto 2 back in development – report

Currently sold locally as an EV-only, the Atto 2 compact SUV could gain a plug-in hybrid drivetrain as part of its update, slated to arrive just after the Atto 3 in the third quarter.

"Atto 2 is the next evolution of a compact SUV for us," Ellis stated.

"We've got an exciting upgrade coming for it, which will keep it as a really popular choice for the market."