BYD Laco’ Tailored to Japanese Kei Car Standards Officially Launched… 1 Million Won Cheaper Than Competitors

BYD has officially launched the ‘Racco’, a compact pure electric vehicle model developed to target the Japanese market. Built to meet Japan’s kei car specifications, the Racco features a body size of 3,395mm in length, 1,475mm in width, 1,800mm in height, and a wheelbase of 2,520mm. Curb weight ranges from 1,160kg to 1,230kg depending on the trim.

The trim lineup consists of three variants: Racco 200, Racco 300 Plus, and Racco 300 Premium, with differentiated optional specifications and battery packs offered across trims. Battery capacities come in two options: 22.4kWh and 35.84kWh, delivering a single-charge driving range of 210km and 320km respectively under Japan’s WLTC standards. The Racco is the first kei-class pure electric vehicle in Japan to achieve a single-charge driving range exceeding 300km. Fast charging supports a maximum output of 50kW. A single motor is mounted on the front axle, producing 64 horsepower of maximum output and 16.3kgf·m of maximum torque.

Development personnel from Japanese automakers were recruited to handle the Racco’s design. This allowed the body size and interior convenience feature configuration to be tailored to the local Japanese market environment. Six exterior colors and two interior design themes are available. Trim-specific optional features include power sliding doors, NFC smartphone key, V2L, a 10.1-inch central infotainment touchscreen, 6-way power seats, front heated seats, heated steering wheel, heated cup holders, and a tire pressure monitoring system. Trunk capacity is 280L, expanding to a maximum of 1,372L when the rear seats are folded.

Sales prices are 2.14 million yen (approximately 19.15 million KRW) for the Racco 200 model, 2.398 million yen (approximately 21.4 million KRW) for the Racco 300 Plus model, and 2.497 million yen (approximately 22.27 million KRW) for the Racco 300 Premium model. With Japan’s government subsidy of 150,000 yen (approximately 1.34 million KRW) applied, the top trim’s purchase price falls in the early 20 million KRW range.

Competing models such as the Nissan Sakura and Mitsubishi eK Cross EV have higher government subsidy amounts compared to the Racco. The Nissan Sakura receives a subsidy of 580,000 yen (approximately 5.17 million KRW), and with the subsidy applied, its top trim purchase price is 2,418,600 yen (approximately 21.57 million KRW), which is about 1 million KRW higher than the BYD Racco’s top trim.

Kei cars account for approximately 40% of annual new vehicle sales in Japan. As of 2025, Japan’s annual automobile sales volume is approximately 4.56 million units, which is 2.7 times the size of Korea’s market at approximately 1.67 million units during the same period. This shows that Japan’s annual kei car sales exceed Korea’s entire new vehicle market. Due to its unique standards and high entry barriers, Japan’s kei car market has long been regarded as an impregnable domain. Industry attention is now focused on how BYD will approach the Japanese kei car market.