BYD Enters Japan’s Kei Car Segment With The Racco

BYD aims to dominate the world market by diversifying its model portfolio. In this case, they are focused on cracking the Japanese kei car market with the new BYD Racco. This makes BYD the first non-Japanese automaker to enter the kei car segment, which is a sign that the Chinese electrified vehicle manufacturer is dead serious about making a mark in the Japanese automotive market.

The BYD Racco’s design doesn’t stray too far from the typical kei car design template. After all, with kei car regulations dictating that it should be no more than 3.4 meters long, no more than 1.48 meters wide, and not exceeding 2 meters in height, there’s only so much distinction you can achieve with the Racco’s design.

Anyway, with the BYD Racco, the short hood and flat front end give it a clean look. Being an electric vehicle (EV), there are barely any vents or grilles to speak of. Oval-shaped elements, such as the lower air intake and the LED headlights, help in giving the Racco a friendly look. The near-vertical windshield and sliding doors are all for optimum practicality, while in typical BYD fashion, this kei car utilizes full-width LED taillights for its light signature.

Unfortunately, BYD has not provided any interior shots of the Racco, but they did reveal that it has the signature technologies you’d expect from the brand. These include a digital gauge cluster and a rotating touchscreen display, along with interior space that’s only possible with a bespoke EV platform.

BYD has also not yet revealed technical details about the Racco. What we only know is that it will be front-wheel drive (FWD) and will surely utilize a BYD Blade lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery. Various media reports, however, are stating that it will have a 20 kWh battery pack that’s good enough for 180 km of WLTC-rated range, though these numbers are still unverified.

The BYD Racco is part of the brand’s Ocean series lineup, wherein Racco (spelled in romanized Japanese as rakko) means Sea Otter. The Japanese origins of the name signified BYD’s intent to take the Japanese EV market seriously. Though the brand is the dominant player in Japan’s EV market, EV sales only represent about three percent of the country’s overall sales, as the Japanese consumers still prefer hybrid–particularly by its Japanese domestic brands, are their electrified vehicle of choice.