BYD Announces Electric Kei Car for Japanese Market

Daily Car

·

24/10/2025

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Chinese car builder BYD says it will start selling cars in Japan. It will bring a battery only car built for Japan's tiny Kei class. The car now nicknamed “Light EV,” will appear first at the 2025 Japanese Mobility Show. The step shows BYD wants a place in a market that follows its own set of rules.

Kei cars are the smallest legal passenger vehicles in Japan. The law fixes their length, width, height and engine size. Owners pay lower tax and insurance fees - city drivers favor them. BYD chose to build a car that fits those exact limits.

Few facts about the Light EV are public, but BYD released one shadowed photo. The body is almost a perfect box, a shape that gives riders and cargo the most room and cares little about wind slip. The car will obey every light vehicle rule and will carry well known BYD hardware.

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Many observers expect the little electric car to use BYD's blade battery. The firm already puts this battery in its other electric models. The pack is long and flat - it slips straight into the floor, frees up cabin space and adds safety.

The Light EV will not stand alone on the BYD stand. The firm will also show work vehicles, among them the J6 bus that doubles as a rolling office. To draw crowds BYD will let its Yangwang U9 electric supercar “dance” on the stage multiple times each day, a stunt meant to prove the brand's skill.

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