Australian deliveries of the BYD Atto 3 electric car from China are due to recommence after the local importer addressed vehicle compliance issues.
The BYD Atto 3 electric car from China will recommence deliveries in Australia following a four-week pause after addressing a number of compliance issues – however there is no advice yet on what recall action will be taken for the hundreds of vehicles already in customer hands.
Compliance concerns about the BYD Atto 3 were raised after Australia’s independent vehicle safety authority withheld its five-star rating pending a review by federal regulators.
During local assessments of the BYD Atto 3, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) uncovered a possible compliance breach and flagged it with federal regulators for clarification.
When Drive sought comment from the importer of BYD vehicles in Australia about a possible compliance breach – after the five-star safety result was issued in Europe but withheld locally – the company issued a legal letter trying to stop publication.
Representatives for BYD also said a media statement would be forthcoming within 24 hours of our request for comment on October 12. To date, no media statement has been issued.
The compliance issue arose because the BYD Atto 3 was certified as a five-seat vehicle even though the top-tether child restraint in the middle rear seating position was hidden under carpet lining.
Regulations require all anchor points to be easily accessible, without the need for tools.
The BYD Atto 3 also fell foul of a compliance requirement for the front passenger seat. Two ISOFIX latches in the front passenger seat have now been “disengaged”, the company says, so they are not used in error. In Australia it is illegal to mount a child restraint in the front seat of a passenger car.
A bulletin sent to BYD customers by the local importer over the weekend said in part:
“As you may know we have been in discussions with the local authorities for the last four weeks trying to clarify a technical issue regarding the ADR certification of the Atto 3 vehicle.
“As part of that process, we made the decision to halt deliveries until such time as we could provide the necessary information to the department to resolve the issue.
“We are pleased to inform customers that we will now recommence the delivery process of the Atto 3.
“All Atto 3s delivered from now on will have a slight modification regarding child seat anchorage points. For clarity, the exact modification is as follows:
“The rear centre seat will now be able to be used for a child seat with a rear anchorage point available.
“The ISOFIX child seat anchorages in the front passenger seat will be disengaged meaning no child seat can be used in the front passenger seat of the vehicle.
“We realise the child seat positions do not impact the vast majority of our customers, but safety is and always will be our number one priority, which is why we decided to voluntarily halt deliveries while resolving this matter.”
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