This is the Racco, an electric kei car that doesn’t come from a Japanese automaker, but from China’s BYD. With about 1.55 million kei cars making up around 40% of new vehicle sales in Japan last year, BYD is looking get a slice of the pie and has developed the Racco – first for the brand – specifically for this purpose.
The name ‘Racco’ is the Japanese translation of sea otter, which fits in neatly with BYD’s liking for naming its cars after marine animals. Current BYD models on sale in Japan include the Seal, Sealion 7, Dolphin and Atto 3, with the Racco reportedly set to join the line-up in the summer of 2026. The compact electric vehicle (EV) is making its first public debut at the ongoing Japan Mobility Show, so here’s a gallery of it.
Meeting local kei car regulations, the Racco measures 3,395 mm long, 1,475 mm wide and 1,800 mm tall, which makes it about the size of the Nissan Sakura. It sits four people and there are four doors, including two at the rear that slide open.
Typical of most kei cars, the body is boxy and upright to maximise interior space, with notable exterior cues being C-shaped daytime running lights around the main headlamps, while the downturned black trim in the front bumper gives “frowny” look and integrates the fog lamps.
A double-A-pillar structure helps with frontward visibility, and the charge port door is located on the front right fender. Moving towards the rear, we find partially blacked-out C-pillars for that “floating roof” look, while the full-width taillights attempt to mimic the front signature.
From what we can see from the outside, the interior dashboard looks to have a simple layout. There’s a small digital instrument cluster on the steering column and a touchscreen that sits just above a row of physical controls.
BYD did not provide powertrain specifications but the Racco is expected to get a Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with an energy capacity of 20 kWh, which is good for up to 180 km of range following the WLTC standard.
As for pricing, the projected starting figure is around 2.5 million yen (about RM68k), which is close to the Sakura. Other models in the kei EV sesgment include the Honda N-One e: and the Sakura’s sister model, the Mitsubishi eK X EV.
The post BYD Racco debuts as brand’s first kei EV developed specifically for Japan – 20 kWh, up to 180 km WLTC appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
