BYD unveils Japan's first electric kei car, base price just under 2.15 million yen

Chinese carmaker BYD unveiled its "Racco" electric mini vehicle at an event in Tokyo on Wednesday 29 July 2026. The 180-centimetre-tall model is aimed at Japan's tall kei-car segment; kei cars account for about 40 percent of new car sales in Japan.

BYD set the base price at just under 2.15 million yen (about $13,000) and said it targets annual sales of 10,000 units. Japan's 150,000-yen clean-vehicle subsidy applies to all three variants, bringing the effective price of the base model below 2 million yen. The car is offered with a range of 210 or 320 kilometres and, according to the company, is Japan's first electric kei car with power sliding doors on both sides.

Liu Xueliang, head of BYD Japan, said at the launch that the company wants to bring new comfort to Japanese drivers through its technology. Japan is targeting full electrification of new passenger cars by 2035. BYD has launched five models since entering the Japanese market in 2023, but sales have remained low.