BYD doubles down on Japan efforts revealing a fully-fledged K-Car, a boxy 4-seater aimed at Japan’s most popular segment.
Chinese automotive manufacturer BYD has officially revealed the Racco, its first pure electric kei car and the brand’s smallest ever model, at the 2025 Tokyo Motor Show.
The vehicle is specifically designed for the Japanese market where kei cars, cars that fit within a specific small footprint and have a maximum power, make up around 30% of the new car market, and sales are scheduled to commence in the summer of 2026.
The Racco will become BYD’s fifth model offering in Japan after the Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 7, and Atto 3, with the Sealion 6 also set to launch soon after being displayed at the same show.
The starting price is anticipated to be approximately ¥2.6 million, roughly the same as Nissan’s electric Sakura, which equates to around £12,850 or $16,850.
The BYD Racco adheres to the classic kei car design philosophy, employing a square, upright shape with wheels positioned at each corner to maximise interior space within a compact footprint.
Its dimensions are 3,395 mm in length, 1,475 mm in width, and 1,800 mm in height, bringing it in just below the maximum length and width dimensions, and 20cm within the maximum height.
The model gets four doors, with conventional front doors and sliding rears, unlike the Sakura’s conventional doors all round, which should be useful when parking in tight spaces.
The front and rear both feature full-width pill-shaped design elements, the front getting C-shaped daytime running lights connected in the middle, and the rear getting looped full-width taillights and an illuminated BYD logo.
Interior images from the motor show reveal an upright dashboard with a roughly 12-inch floating central screen and roughly 8-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel.
Other design elements include a reflection of the external pill shapes with vertical vents either side of the steering wheel and a longer horizontal vent element ahead of the passenger.
Cupholders at either end of the dashboard, physical silver toggles in the middle, and a glovebox complete the main elements of the dashboard, while the front footwell is free of obstructions enabling occupants to scooch across to the opposite door when needed.
The rear seats appear to get vast amounts of legroom, and it’s likely that the bench can be moved fore and aft on rails in order to open up more space in the boot, with BYD confirming it will be a four-seater.
Power for the Racco is supplied by a front-mounted electric motor, and though specific power outputs remain undisclosed, it could produce up to 45kW of power with roughly 63hp the maximum power permitted under kei car rules.
BYD says the car will feature two different battery size variants, with a smaller pack likely around 20kWh and a larger pack maybe as much as 30kWh.
Both will be BYD Blade batteries using the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry and delivering a WLTC-rated driving range upwards of 180 kilometres.
For convenient recharging, the vehicle should support a DC fast-charging at a rate of up to 100 kW, which should allow for rapid battery top-ups.
The kei car segment represents a significant portion of the Japanese automotive market, accounting for roughly one-third of all vehicle sales.
With the Racco, BYD is entering a highly competitive field dominated by established models such as the Honda N-Box and the all-electric Nissan Sakura, but brings a fresh approach with its electric drivetrain looking to directly take on Nissan’s Sakura.
With a starting price of around ¥2.6 million (£12,850 / $16,850), the Racco would be well-placed to succeed though it remains to be seen how openly Japanese consumers will take to a non-Japanese entrant.
