Chinese automaker BYD is making a Japan-specific mini-model, having shown a teaser image of a new kei car that’s expected to be revealed in full at the Tokyo motor show next week.
As reported by Carscoops, spy images circulating on Chinese social media channels show a tall, boxy camouflaged mini-car with the diminutive dimensions of a Japanese kei car, including super-short front and rear overhangs, and a tall body with sliding passenger doors.
BYD’s first kei car is expected to be sold only in Japan, and is not tipped to be offered in any other countries, including Australia.
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A kei car is a specific low-tax Japanese-market urban vehicle with a small, fuel-efficient engine and tiny exterior dimensions designed to fit down narrow city alleyways.
To be classed as a kei car, it must measure less than 3.4 metres long, 1.48m wide, and 2.02m high, and be powered by an engine displacing less than 660cc and producing under about 47kW.
It’s a class of vehicle dominated by Japanese brands including Toyota, Suzuki and Daihatsu, making BYD’s entry both somewhat controversial, unconventional and ambitious.
The Honda N-Box is the top-selling kei car in Japan so far this year, measuring 3395mm long, 1475mm wide and 1790mm high, and offering a 4.7m turning circle.
It’s powered by a 47kW/104Nm turbocharged 658cc three-cylinder engine, combined with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and a 940kg kerb weight.
Following the compact, lightweight and efficient kei car formula, the smallest BYD yet is expected to be all-electric and powered by a single electric motor fed by a 20kWh battery.
As an urban car, Carscoops reports it will have a relatively short driving range of around just 180km (WLTP), and a battery with 100kW DC fast-charging capability to keep it on the road.
It’s expected to cost ¥2.5 million ($A25,356) – more than the cheapest N-Box but similarly priced to other kei cars including the Mitsubishi eK X EV.
BYD Australia has announced it will launch its smallest model yet, the Atto 1 electric hatchback, in November, and has promised it will be this country’s cheapest EV.
The BYD Dolphin is currently Australia’s cheapest EV, priced at $29,990 before on-road costs, after wrestling the title from the GWM Ora ($35,990 drive-away) and MG 4 ($37,990 drive-away).
MORE: Explore the BYD showroom