Suzuki undercuts BYD with a $13,500 mini EV powered by BYD batteries

Suzuki’s first electric kei car, the e SKY, is set to launch in Japan on November 16 and aims to undercut BYD’s current price leader, the Racco. Nikkei reports the e SKY will start at about 2.12 million yen (around $13,500), making it the cheapest mini EV in its class. BYD’s Racco starts at 2.145 million yen. Suzuki says the e SKY delivers up to a 310 km WLTC range and 97 Wh/km AC energy consumption, using lithium iron phosphate batteries supplied by BYD. If it qualifies for Japan’s 568,000 yen kei subsidy, pricing could match Suzuki’s gas Spacia. BYD targets 10,000 Racco sales by end-2026 after 1,000 orders in two weeks.