BYD's electric kei car gets off to a strong start with over 5,000 orders in its first week

BYD says its new electric kei car, the Racco, has secured more than 5,000 orders in its first week since opening for reservations on July 21 in Japan—exceeding half of its 10,000-order goal for the end of 2026. The model launched officially on Tuesday, positioning BYD’s first kei EV specifically for a market historically dominated by brands such as Nissan, Honda, Toyota and Suzuki. BYD reports increased showroom foot traffic, with some dealers seeing over 200 visits and more than 60 deposit orders in a single day. About 70% of reservation holders plan to trade in an existing kei car.