The recent recall announcement of BYD Atto 3 and Dolphin in China does not apply to units sold in Malaysia. This was confirmed by Sime Darby Motors (SDM), who is responsible for BYD consumer vehicles in our market.
According to the brief statement that was published on BYD Cars Malaysia’s Facebook and Instagram pages, SDM made it clear that the announcement in China is specific to that market:
In the announcement on China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) website, a total of 96,714 Atto 3 (known as the Yuan Plus over there) and Dolphin from two BYD entities were recalled. The move was done after the company discovered manufacturing defects within the power steering system that may cause overheat or even fire.
BYD Atto 3 and Dolphin are still some of the most popular EVs in Malaysia
BYD Atto 3 was originally launched in Malaysia back in December 2022 and has recently received a minor facelift. While it may have lost its top spot to BYD Seal this year, it is still the second most popular EV in Malaysia with 2,217 units registered so far in 2024 according to the latest data from JPJ.
Even though the BYD Dolphin is not as popular as its SUV and sedan siblings, the electric hatchback which made its way to Malaysia in July 2023 is still ahead of many other EVs in the market. Up till the end of August, 1,119 Dolphins have been registered so far this year which made it the 4th most popular new EVs in Malaysia.
Given their market reach, it is not surprising to see there was a lot of interest when the news regarding the recall in China made its way to this side of the world.
