BYD has thrown an oriental cat amongst the pigeons by targeting Japan’s most sacred city car class – Keijidosha (kei cars, or micro cars) with its Racco MPV.
Targeting the likes of Nissan Roox and Mitsubishi eK as well as Honda’s N-Box and N-One, the Racco is a cute electric car with 180km of range. Measuring 3395mm long, 1475mm wide and 1800mm long, the four-seater with sliding rear doors follows a similar formula to those aforementioned rivals.
A Racco RS was also on display giving sporty flair with red highlights on the front valance and brake calipers. Lozinge and C-shaped LED motifs at the front and rear give the Racco a modern appearance.
Customisation options also include an external rear spare tyre and roof box for camping adventures. A gaudy anime-laden concept was shown too.
The interior is hard to discern at this stage, but features a three-spoke steering wheel design, free-floating infotainment screen – which may or may not be able to rotate – and plenty of ‘squircles’.
A 20kWh Blade LFP battery pack allows up to 100kW of DC fast-charging, with a range expected to be around 180km. Specific output numbers haven’t been mentioned.
It remains to be seen how Japan’s patriotic customer base will respond to a Chinese intruder, wanting to play in Japan’s most iconic vehicle class.
The only other time a foreign player has attempted this was with the Smart K in 2001. To comply with Japanese regulations, it had a width reduction to 1470mm, narrower track and tyres, but it was discontinued after three years.
