Suzuki Underprices BYD and Honda With Its First Electric Kei Car, the e Sky

Suzuki has finally revealed what its first battery-electric kei car will cost, and the answer is less than its closest rivals. The e Sky will open at 2.12 million yen (roughly €12,000) when Japanese order books open ahead of a 16 November sales launch, putting it beneath the electric kei offerings from both BYD and Honda.

The lineup splits into three grades. Entry-level A sits at that 2.12 million yen figure, while the mid-range G climbs to 2.39 million yen (about €13,500) and the range-topping X reaches 2.79 million yen (around €15,750). Suzuki plans to build the A to order only, with the G and X treated as standard production variants.

Underneath, the e Sky rides on a fresh dedicated EV architecture Suzuki calls Heartect-e. The company also kept development of the drive unit in-house, packaging motor, inverter and reduction gears into a single eAxle weighing about 47 kg. The AC synchronous motor, known internally as BB8A, delivers 47 kW and 133 Nm. Energy comes from a 26 kWh LFP pack supplied by BYD — notably smaller than the optional 35.84 kWh unit BYD offers in its own Racco, which is rated for 320 km on the WLTC cycle. Suzuki has leaned on efficiency instead: at 97 Wh/km, the e Sky covers 310 km per charge, only 10 km short of the bigger-battery Racco.

Charging tops out at 6 kW on AC, with a full top-up from the low-battery warning to 100 per cent taking about four and a half hours. DC capability at up to 50 kW is reserved for the G and X grades via a CHAdeMO port, taking the same starting point to 80 per cent in 25 minutes; that port also enables vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-home use. Equipment varies by trim and includes LED lighting, a 4.2-inch driver display, a 10.1-inch HD touchscreen, two USB-C ports, heated front seats and steering wheel, and a six-speaker audio system. Safety hardware spans a 360-degree camera, six airbags, lane keeping and departure systems, sway and drowsiness warnings, and adaptive cruise control.

Attention now turns to whether the e Sky travels. Japanese reports suggest Suzuki is weighing a European launch as early as 2027, with the UK and Italy seen as the leading candidates. The segment is already internationalising: Honda has brought an adapted version of its N-One e to the UK as the Super-N, and BYD is reportedly studying a European entry with a space-efficient battery layout similar to the Racco’s.