BYD Atto 8 Unveiled: 7-Seat EV SUV Charges to 97% in 9 Minutes

Chinese carmaker BYD has unveiled its new all-electric Atto 8 at the Paris Motor Show in France. The large SUV has seven seats, a driving range of up to 653 km and a new charging system that BYD says can fill the battery from 10% to 97% in just nine minutes.

The Paris Motor Show opened on October 12 and runs until October 18. The Atto 8 is the first BYD car in Europe to come with the company's FLASH Charging technology. Sales in Europe are planned for the first quarter of 2027, which means between January and March.

The Atto 8 will replace the BYD Tang as the brand's top SUV in Europe. It is a big vehicle. It is 5.04 metres long, 2 metres wide and 1.76 metres tall, which makes it longer than a Toyota Fortuner, a car most Pakistanis know well.

Two Versions With Up to 764 Horsepower

Both versions of the Atto 8 use the same 115 kWh battery. This is BYD's second generation Blade Battery. The main difference between the two versions is the number of motors.

The Design RWD has one electric motor at the back. It makes 340 kW, which is about 456 horsepower, and 365 Nm of torque. It goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.0 seconds. Because it uses one motor, it also has the longest range, up to 653 km on Europe's WLTP test.

The Excellence AWD adds a second motor at the front, so all four wheels get power. Total output rises to 570 kW, or about 764 horsepower, with 775 Nm of torque. This version reaches 100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds. Its range falls a little, to 602 km.

WLTP is a standard lab test used in Europe to measure range. Real range on the road is usually lower. It changes with speed, weather, road conditions and how the car is driven.

Nine Minute Charging, But Only on Special Chargers

Charging is the biggest talking point. BYD says the Atto 8 can charge from 10% to 70% in five minutes and from 10% to 97% in nine minutes. Even in freezing weather of minus 30°C, the company says a charge from 20% to 97% takes about 12 minutes.

BYD says this is roughly one third of the time that rival electric SUVs need just to reach 80%. If true, charging the Atto 8 would take about as long as a stop at a petrol pump.

There is an important catch. These are company claims, and they only apply on BYD's own FLASH Charging stations. These chargers can supply up to 1,500 kW through a single connector, far more than most public fast chargers today. On a normal charger, the Atto 8 will take longer.

BYD launched its FLASH Charging network in China in March 2026. In Europe, it plans to build 3,000 of these stations by the end of 2027, including 300 in Germany by the end of 2026. BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li said the company believes this technology will make recharging an electric car as fast as refuelling, and will remove the fear of the battery running out on long trips.

Seven Seats and a Premium Cabin

Inside, the Atto 8 has three rows of seats and a large glass roof of about 2.4 square metres. The seats and surfaces use leather, suede and soft materials. The driver gets a 10.25 inch digital display, a 15.6 inch touchscreen in the centre and a 26 inch head up display that shows information on the windscreen. Google Maps, Google Assistant and the Google Play Store are built in.

Seats in the first and second rows are heated and cooled, and they also have a massage function. The car has three zone climate control with separate controls for rear passengers. There is a small front compartment that can keep things cool or warm, from minus 6°C up to 50°C. Two 50 watt wireless phone chargers and four USB C ports are also included.

With all seven seats up, the boot holds 270 litres. With the rear seats folded down, space grows to as much as 1,960 litres. There is also a 136 litre storage space under the bonnet.

On the outside, the SUV has slim LED daytime lights, matrix LED headlights and a sculpted front bumper. A strong line runs along its sides, and darkened rear pillars make the roof look like it is floating. At the back, a full width LED light bar with an infinity style design sits above an illuminated BYD badge.

Chinese Brands Push Harder Into Europe

The Atto 8 now sits at the top of BYD's growing European SUV range, which already includes the Atto 2, Atto 3, Sealion 5, Seal U and Sealion 7.

Its launch comes as Chinese carmakers grow fast in Europe. A record 20 Chinese brands are taking part in this year's Paris show, around one third of the roughly 60 carmakers there. In 2024, only 10 Chinese brands came. BYD is also showing its Shark plug in hybrid pickup, with European sales expected within the next six months. Pakistani buyers already know this truck as the Shark 6, which BYD launched here in July 2025.

BYD has not yet announced the Atto 8's price or which European countries will get it first. European EV news site electrive has estimated that, as the new flagship, it is unlikely to start below €75,000.

What It Means for Pakistan

There is no confirmed launch date or price for the Atto 8 in Pakistan. BYD has not said whether it will bring the car here at all.

BYD entered Pakistan in August 2024 with its local partner Mega Motor Company, an associate of HUBCO. Its current Pakistani range runs from the Atto 2 at Rs. 7.29 million to the Shark 6 at Rs. 19.95 million, with the Atto 3, Seal and Sealion 7 in between.

Price would be a big question if the Atto 8 ever comes. Under the Budget 2026-27 proposal, imported electric cars for personal use stay duty free up to a value of Rs. 20 million. Cars between Rs. 20 million and Rs. 30 million face a 30% duty, and those above Rs. 30 million face 40%. Even a simple conversion of the expected European starting price comes to more than Rs. 20 million, so an imported Atto 8 could fall into the higher duty slabs.

The charging technology may reach Pakistan sooner than the car. On October 9, Liu Xueliang, BYD Vice President and General Manager of Asia Pacific auto sales, said BYD is in talks with Mega Motor Company about bringing its ultra fast charging to Pakistan. No date or investment has been confirmed, and he said the rollout depends on several factors. He added that existing BYD cars could also use these chargers, but at lower speeds.

Pakistan's charging network is still small. Dawn reported in September that HUBCO Green had 24 working DC fast charging sites, placed about every 200 km along the Karachi to Peshawar motorway route.

Meanwhile, BYD's $150 million assembly plant at Gharo near Karachi is nearing its planned launch in the second half of 2026. It will be BYD's sixth car plant outside China, starting with 25,000 vehicles a year and possibly growing to 50,000. The company expects it to create more than 1,100 jobs. For Pakistani buyers, the start of local production and any final decision on fast charging will be the next things to watch.