While it’s common to hear of people queuing overnight to purchase the latest iPhone, the same doesn’t apply to buying a car. But that was what happened last week leading up to the launch of the BYD Atto 3, the news left the internet in disbelief. Now, authorised distributor BYD Rever Thailand has an explanation for why Thais were so eager to get their hands on the Atto 3.

At first, the news that car buyers lined up overnight to put in a booking for the Atto 3 was touted as fake news, but when images surfaced on the internet, speculations that Rever hired people to line up to create hype.

However, on the first day reservations were opened for the Atto 3, Rever received a total of 2,507 bookings. That’s not a small number for just one day.

Rever’s Chairman Phorn Phornprapha believes that the eagerness of Thai buyers was partly caused by the limited supply of electric vehicles (EV) in the Kingdom.

Also read: People in Thailand queued overnight for BYD Atto 3, just like for iPhones

For example, we previously reported that one of the car buyers travelled from Chiang Rai down to Bangkok to book the Atto 3 because the BYD dealerships in Chiang Rai only accept full payments in cash due to the limited allocations, reportedly only 5,000 units nationwide.

Another factor that led to the overnight queuing phenomenon is the ever-increasing fuel prices. This has driven many car buyers in the land of smiles to turn to EVs sooner than expected.

Other than that, the Atto 3’s price of THB 1,199,900 (~RM 146,000) is also a huge factor that caught car buyers’ attention as it is priced lower than most EVs on the market.

Rever even admitted that they had expected the Atto 3 to sell well due to the price but not to the point of having car buyers line up overnight.

Also read: Thailand launches BYD Atto 3 EV, price equals to RM 146k, 420 km range, 204 PS/310 Nm

As mentioned, Rever collected a total of 2,507 bookings on the first day the Atto 3 was open for reservations. This has exceeded the distributor’s expectations and it is also well on its way to helping Rever achieve its sales target of 5,000 vehicles set for this year.

However, the distributor has also mentioned that they might need to stop accepting bookings once they have reached their target because it is part of the company’s policy to only distribute products that are in stock.

Rever also mentioned that they have no intention of selling more than their current target to ensure that their after-sales experience would not get overwhelmed. The distributor believes that the aftersales would be the deciding factor for customers to purchase another BYD in the future.

To recap, the Atto 3 is priced at THB 1,199,900. The battery capacity is rated at 60.48 kWh which is good for 420 km based on the WLTP. The front-mounted electric motor provides 204 PS and 310 Nm.

Also read: Confirmed for Malaysia, here's 24 photos of the BYD Atto 3, aka Yuan Plus in China; 510 km range, 204 PS/ 310 Nm

The Atto 3 also features a Type 2 connector for AC charging up to 6.6 kW while the DC charging goes up to 80 kW. The EV also features Vehicle to Load (V2L) function just like the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV 6.

The battery is also BYD’s latest Blade Technology which is touted to be the safest EV battery in the market.

Closer to home, the Atto 3 is also slated to launch here in Malaysia. If all goes to plan, the Atto 3 as well as the BYD e6 will be launched here as soon as December.

Also read: BYD to enter Malaysia via Sime Darby Motors, Atto 3 and e6 confirmed to launch