Chinese giant BYD revealed the first interior images of its Japan-exclusive Racco kei car, ahead of the model’s launch scheduled for this Summer.
The images appeared on the company’s Japanese website on Tuesday, a day after it announced across its social media accounts that the model’s dedicated webpage had gone live.
The new model debuted in Japan last October, during the country’s main Auto Show.
It is expected to be priced between 2.5 million and 2.6 million yen — a range of between $16,300 and $17,000.
The model will directly compete with leading Japanese kei EVs, such as the Honda N-Box, Suzuki Spacia, and Nissan Sakura.
Apart from the BYD Racco five more models from the Shenzen-based automaker are planned to be launched this year in Japan.
They were unveiled during the Tokyo Auto Salon, held between January 9 and 11.
The company is also aiming to expand its sales network in Japan by opening smaller dealerships — showcasing only one or two models — as reported earlier this month by Nikkei.
“We intend to cover small, regional commercial areas in order to sell mini EVs,” BYD Auto Japan’s President Atsuki Tofukuji, according to report.
BYD Racco’s Interior and Specs
BYD Racco measures 3395 mm in length, 1475 mm in width, and 1800 mm in height, with an estimated wheelbase of 2,300 mm.
The cabin features a three-spoke steering wheel with functional buttons, sun shades, power windows, power mirror adjustments, heated front seats, among other elements.
The dashboard houses a floating touchscreen, LCD instrument cluster, physical climate controls, and 12V, USB, and Type-C charging ports.
Although the second row of the model wasn’t shown in official images, its presentation in Japan demonstrated that it contains two seats with adjustable headrests, as well as two rear sliding doors.
During last month’s Tokyo Auto Salon, a slide at the BYD stand revealed that the Racco is equipped with two battery packs — one of 20 kWh, delivering an approximate maximum WLTC range of 200 km (124 miles), and the other with 30 kWh, delivering around 300 km (186 miles) of range.
The vehicle also includes a heat pump air-conditioning system and supports DC fast charging up to 100 kW.
Japanese Debut and Sales
BYD entered the Japanese market back in early 2023, introducing the Atto 3 SUV, priced around $30,000.
The model competed with popular domestic models, such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.
Launched in the country in September 2023, the compact model Dolphin — named Seagull in China —, started at 2.99 million yen ($19,500), rivalling the Toyota Prius and Nissan LEAF.
Last year, BYD saw its sales jump year over year by around 62% to a total of 3,870 deliveries, according to data released last month by the Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA).
According to the organization, imported vehicles’ volume increased by roughly 7% year-on-year, reaching 243,129 units, marking the first positive growth in two years.
Specifically, pure EVs accounted for 30,513 units sold in the Asian nation, increasing by 26% compared to 2024.
BYD Exports
Last year, BYD exported a total of 1,049,601 new energy vehicles (NEVs), representing a 150.7% surge from 2024.
Last month, the Chinese automaker sold 100,482 units overseas — marking a year over year growth of 51.5%.
However, January 2026’s figures fell by 24.5% from the 133,172 exports recorded in the last month of 2025.
Last month, BYD confirmed that it aims to achieve 1.3 million sales outside China this year – 24.3% more than the nearly 1.05 million exports recorded in 2025.
The company became the world’s leading EV maker in 2025, driven by strong overseas sales growth, the global launch of its most affordable model — the Dolphin Surf — and expansion into several new countries across the globe.
