Meet Racco: BYD’s first EV built to take on overseas markets

Racco will lead BYD’s global expansion as its first EV designed exclusively to sell overseas. Here’s our first look at the electric kei car.

BYD unveils Racco, a new type of EV

We’ve been waiting to see BYD’s electric kei car since camouflaged prototypes were caught during road tests earlier this year.

At the Japan Mobility Show, BYD finally took the sheets off Racco, its smallest electric car yet. It’s not just BYD’s first kei car, but it’s the first from an automaker outside of Japan.

About 1.55 million kei cars were sold in Japan last year, accounting for roughly 40% of new vehicle sales. The Honda N-Box was once again the most popular model, claiming the title for the third year in a row.

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BYD will take its first crack at the market with Racco, its first vehicle designed exclusively for overseas markets. The Chinese EV giant plans to open pre-orders in the summer of 2026 as it looks to compete with domestic brands like Honda and Nissan.

The Racco has the typical look of most kei cars sold in Japan nowadays with an upright, boxy stance. It features four doors, with the back two sliding open.

Measuring 3,395 mm in length, 1,475 mm in width, and 1,800 mm in height, the BYD Racco is about the size of the Nissan Sakura EV, the best-selling electric car in Japan.

BYD has yet to reveal battery specs, but it’s expected to arrive with a 20 kWh battery, which should provide around 180 km (112 miles) WLTC range. It will likely be equipped with BYD’s Blade LFP batteries to keep costs down.

We will learn prices closer to launch, but the BYD Racco is expected to start at around 2.5 million yen ($18,000), putting it on par with the Nissan Sakura.

BYD isn’t the only one launching its first electric kei car. Honda introduced the N-ONE last month, starting at 2.7 million yen ($18,300), and it believes it may be an even bigger hit than the N-box.

According to reports, Japanese automakers are already preparing for the arrival of the BYD Racco. A Reuters report earlier this week claimed a handful of government officials and auto industry leaders admitted BYD represented “a much-needed wake-up call for Japanese automakers that have been focused primarily on hybrid tech.”

Since entering Japan in early 2023, BYD has sold only about 6,600 electric vehicles. With Racco set to arrive in 2026, China’s EV leader looks to change that.