BYD’s Racco kei EV has passed 1,000 orders in Japan just two weeks after going on sale, the fastest order pace of any BYD model introduced in the country so far.
The Racco was launched on July 28 as BYD’s first vehicle developed specifically for Japan’s kei-car regulations. It comes in three versions — Racco 200, 300Plus and 300Premium — with official WLTC driving ranges of 210km to 320km.
Early demand has tilted heavily towards the top version. BYD said the Racco 300Premium accounted for 80% of orders, while the 300Plus took 14% and the entry-level Racco 200 just 6%.
BYD also released findings from a survey of early buyers. Some 37.5% were adding the Racco as another vehicle, 35.7% were replacing an existing car and 26.8% were classed as new purchases.
Home charging was not universal either. Some 55.4% of respondents already had EV charging equipment at home, while 43% did not. Another 1.6% gave no answer.
BYD did not disclose the survey sample size, so those figures should not be taken as representing all Racco customers.
The Racco takes BYD into Japan’s huge kei-car market with a super-tall body and powered sliding doors, a format already well established among Japanese buyers. Underneath, BYD developed a new X-PACK that integrates the battery with several electrical and control components.
The early order mix is notable. Rather than gravitating towards the cheapest Racco, four out of five orders have gone to the most expensive 300Premium.
