Japan: Suzuki prices e Sky below BYD & Honda’s electric kei cars
Suzuki has announced the starting price of the e Sky in Japan. The brand's first electric kei car will start at 2.12 million yen (~€12,000 euros), undercutting rivals from BYD and Honda. Sales are set to commence on 16 November.
Image: Suzuki
The Japanese automaker will offer three trims: A, G, and X. Above the entry-level A, the G and X trims will retail at 2.39 million yen (~€13,500) and 2.79 million yen (~€15,750), respectively. The company says it will build the A trim to order, while the G and X trims will be regular production configurations.
The e Sky is based on a newly developed, dedicated EV platform called ‘Heartect-e’. Suzuki also developed the car’s eAxle itself, combining the motor, inverter, and reduction gears into a single component weighing approximately 47 kg. The motor is an AC synchronous unit, internally designated ‘BB8A’, and produces 47 kW and 133 Nm of torque.
Image: Suzuki
- 1/3
- 2/3
- 3/3
Suzuki uses a 26 kWh LFP battery pack sourced from BYD in the e Sky. Rather than offering a large battery pack like the BYD does with the Racco’s optional 35.84 LFP unit, which delivers a WLTC range of 320 km, the company has focused on achieving high efficiency. Thanks to a low energy consumption of 97 Wh/km, the e Sky can travel 310 km on a single charge, just 10 km less than the Racco with the 35.84 LFP battery pack.
The 26 kWh LFP battery pack supports charging at up to 6 kW via an AC charger and at up to 50 kW via a DC charger. However, Suzuki offers DC charging capability only in the G and X trims, through a CHAdeMO port, which customers can also use for vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) functions. Charging from low-battery warning to 100 per cent SoC via a 6 kW charger takes approximately four and a half hours. Via a 50 kW DC charger, charging from the same level to 80 per cent SoC takes 25 minutes.
Depending on the trim, Suzuki will offer the e Sky with features such as LED headlamps and tail lamps, a 4.2-inch driver information display, a 10.1-inch HD touchscreen infotainment system, two USB Type-C ports, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a six-speaker audio system.
The company will also offer a host of safety and driver-assistance features, including a 360-degree camera system, six airbags, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Departure Prevention, Vehicle Sway Warning, Driver Drowsiness Warning, and Adaptive Cruise Control.
According to a report from _Nikkei_, Suzuki could launch the e Sky in Europe as early as 2027. The company is considering the UK and Italy as the primary export markets in the region. Another report from the Japanese publication has hinted at BYD also planning an entry in this emerging segment in Europe with a model that features a battery pack with a space-saving layout similar to that of the Racco. Honda has already launched an adapted version of its electric kei car, the N-One e, as the Super-N in the UK.
suzuki.co.jp (info sheet), suzuki.co.jp (press release) (links in Japanese)