A compact SUV from Chinese carmaker BYD will be the next electric car from that country to be sold in Ireland, following a deal that appoints Motor Distributors Limited as the representative of the brand in this country, writes Brian Byrne. It will be the third Chinese company with a position in Ireland, after MG and the Ora companies — the latter which had its Funky Cat launch earlier this week. The arrival of the BYD Atto-3 compact SUV will be the first in a range of EVs from the brand, a statement from MDL says. The car will have a WLTP-rated range of 420km and an energy consumption of 15.5kWh/100km. The new franchise will mean an extra 150 jobs at MDL, bringing the total employment to around 450 at the importer, currently distributors of Mercedes-Benz here. The agreement was signed at BYD global headquarters in Shenzhen, China in the presence of MDL chief executive, Paddy Finnegan.