RAY MASSEY: Enter the Dragon! China’s BYD produces Atto 3

First it was Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. Then came Korea in the 1990s and 2000s. Now China is shaking up the UK and European car market with new, affordable and full-featured family cars, especially electric ones.

Newest kid on the block is now China’s BYD – arguably the biggest global car company you’ve never heard of. But believe me, you will succeed. And it will give established rivals like Volkswagen sleepless nights.

I’ve just driven BYD’s smart and perky new family electric SUV Atto 3, which launched in the UK this week with first deliveries from Wednesday.

And it really is a case of ‘enter the dragon’. Because the ‘face’ of the new car – and others in the range to follow – is deliberately modeled on that of a Chinese dragon.

The initials BYD stand, rather self-consciously, for ‘Build Your Dreams’, which adorns the entire tailgate. But it’s not just a car company. Founded in 1995, it is a huge industrial conglomerate that now builds everything from buses to trains, has a turnover of over £51bn and employs over 600,000 people.

Originally a rechargeable battery company, it produces its own microchips, so it’s largely unaffected by parts supply issues faced by rivals.

Built around a new third-generation powertrain and designed as a premium model, the front-wheel drive electric motor of the stylish new five-seat, zero-emissions Atto 3 crossover is powered by a 60.48 kWh ‘blade’ battery that delivers more power in a smaller package. It claims 260 miles of range and 20 percent more thermal efficiency in the winter.

It accelerates smoothly from rest to 100 km/h in a brisk 7.2 seconds. It’s most fun and engaging in ‘sport’ mode, but there’s also ‘normal’ for cruising, ‘economy’ for saving power, and ‘snow’ for weather like this week. The top speed is 99 mph.

It has a sporty and spacious interior with ‘vegan leather’ upholstery and heated, electrically adjustable front seats.

There are three trim levels: priced from £36,490 to the top model from £38,990.

Riding on 18-inch alloy wheels, the Atto 3 is so smooth and easy to drive that hitting the posted speed limit is coming your way sooner than you think, but a sitter with voice control in the car warns you if that happens, and the speed limit symbol a visual warning flashes on the screen.

There are also two regenerative braking settings, the stronger being my preference as it means less work on the actual brakes.

It has a sporty and spacious interior with ‘vegan leather’ upholstery and heated electrically adjustable front seats, a practical 440-litre luggage compartment which expands to 1,338 liters with the rear seats folded, and a large panoramic glass roof.

There are three trim levels: Active from £36,490, Comfort from £36,990 and top-of-the-line Design – which I drove, which will arrive later in the spring, from £38,990.

Packed with safety technology, it scored a maximum of 5 stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests.

Safety and driver assistance features include: forward and rear collision warning; cross traffic alert; automatic emergency braking; emergency lane assist and lane change; hill descent control; blind spot detection; electronic stability program (ESP) and traffic sign recognition.

Other features include a rotating electric touchscreen (15.6 inches on Design trim, 12.9 inches on other models); panoramic sunroof; ‘vegan leather’ upholstery; heated front seats; and an electric tailgate.

There are a few gimmicks: the Tesla-style dashboard touchscreen can rotate from horizontal to vertical; the dash and controls on the center console are inspired by a hi-tech gym design with barbell-style door handles, a kettlebell-style gear shifter and vents designed to look like free weights; and the door pockets contain strings designed to remind you of a guitar. But honestly, it’s good enough without the gimmicks.

There are five exterior colors: Surf Blue, Ski White, Climbing Grey, Parkour Red and Exploration Green.

BYD’s UK dealer network, starting in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Milton Keynes, already includes Pendragon, Lookers, Arnold Clarke and LSH Auto Holdings and is expected to grow from 30 showrooms by the end of the year to 100 by the end of 2025.

More details at: bydeurope.com/

Five-star crash test rating for Mazda’s new MX-30

Mazda’s new MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV plug-in hybrid SUV has received a maximum five-star rating in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash tests (euroncap.com/en).

It scored 91 percent for protecting adults, 87 percent for protecting child occupants and 68 percent for protecting vulnerable road users such as pedestrians.

It also achieved maximum points in side impact tests, as well as full points in crash tests based on six- and 10-year-olds, for both frontal and side impacts.

It now matches the top score of its all-electric MX-30 e-Skyactiv EV variant tested in 2020.

Mazda said: “Both MX-30 derivatives score impressively in all four Euro NCAP test categories.”

The order books for the R-EV plug-in hybrid, unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show in January, are now open for first deliveries in the summer. Prices from £31,250.

Motorists don’t know what to do if the car slips

With millions of motorists facing icy, snowbound roads this week, new research conducted by Halfords shows that 69 per cent of UK drivers are unsure what to do if their vehicle slips in icy conditions.

And only one in three are confident they know what to do if their vehicle starts to skid on a slippery road. Adding to the concern is that more than a quarter (26 percent) don’t know whether their vehicle is rear-wheel, front-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Halfords comments: ‘What drivers have to do if their vehicle slips is fundamentally different in a front-wheel drive car than in a rear-wheel drive car. That means that many could end up doing the exact opposite of what they should do if they lost control.’

It adds: ‘Rear wheel drive cars – common in premium brands such as BMWs and Mercedes – are much more likely to lose control in icy conditions.’

More information at: www.halfords.com/tyres/advice/driving-on-ice.html