BYD begins Racco’s global rollout with Sri Lanka and Macao
Following a global market launch in Japan in July, BYD has commenced the global rollout of the Racco - starting with Sri Lanka and Macao. The company has started accepting confirmed bookings in Sri Lanka and opened pre-orders in Macao.
Image: BYD
In Sri Lanka, BYD offers the Racco only in a well-equipped Premium trim comparable to Japan’s top-end 300 Premium grade for a price of 12.191 million Sri Lankan rupees (approx. €32,900 euros). An introductory offer valid until 9 November lowers the price to 11.45 million Sri Lankan rupees (~€30,900). High import tariffs and local taxes, among other factors, make the Racco notably more expensive than in Japan, where the 300 Premium trim retails at 2.497 million yen (~€14,100).
The Racco has a permanent magnet synchronous motor producing 47 kW and 160 Nm of torque driving the front wheels. A 35.8 kWh LFP battery pack powers this motor as standard in Sri Lanka, and it supports charging at up to 6 kW via an AC charger or up to 50 kW via a DC charger. A 30 to 80 per cent DC charging session is possible as quickly as 25 minutes. BYD also offers vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging support in this configuration. The electric kei car takes 15.8 seconds to reach 100 km/h from a standstill and can drive 320 kilometres on a single charge, as per WLTP, the same figure quoted as per the WLTC standard in Japan.
BYD equips the Racco in Sri Lanka with features such as power sliding doors with gesture-controlled opening, 15-inch alloy wheels, a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, heated cupholders, and heated front seats. The company also bundles a host of safety equipment, including Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Rear Collision Warning, Blind Spot Detection, Driver Fatigue Monitoring, and rear-seat Child Presence Detection. Acceleration Misapplication Prevention, a 360-degree camera system, and six airbags.
Kei car is a segment already known to and popular among Sri Lankan consumers. For instance, Suzuki sold nearly 11,500 units of its Wagon-R and Spacia kei cars combined between January and August this year, as per a report from _Economynext_. The Racco is the first electric model available in this segment in Sri Lanka, and BYD aims to sell 3,000 units of the same over the next year.
In Macao, BYD appears to have introduced the Racco in the same well-equipped trim as Sri Lanka’s Premium and Japan’s 300 Premium. Data from the local transport bureau indicates that the company uses the Japanese name in this market. While it has revealed some of the key features mirroring those it offers in Sri Lanka and a 320-kilometre WLTC range, it has yet to announce the launch timeline in this market.
In Japan, cumulative orders for the Racco have reached approximately 2,000 units, Tofokuji Atsuki, the Managing Director of BYD Auto Japan, said during the car’s launch in Sri Lanka. As per data the company recorded until 28 September, 82 per cent of customers are new to the brand, and 85 per cent have chosen the 300 Premium trim.