Sri LankaBYD’s Racco electric kei car has gone on sale in Sri Lanka, the first market outside Japan, at an introductory price of 11,450,000 Sri Lankan rupees (~$34,600). CarNewsChina puts that at 2.5 times the car’s starting price in Japan. The local distributor, John Keells CG Auto (JKCG), launched it across showrooms in Colombo, Kandy and Galle, EconomyNext reported on 12 October, and expects to sell 3,000 in the next year. Our Racco model page has the car’s specification and Japanese prices.
The price gap
In Japan the entry Racco 200 lists at 2,145,000 yen (~$14,600), which EconomyNext converts to roughly 4.5 million Sri Lankan rupees (~$13,600). BYD Sri Lanka says the 11,450,000-rupee price is introductory and valid through 9 November, and CarNewsChina reads that to mean the car will cost more once the period ends.
Neither report splits the gap into tax and margin, so the size of each part is not known. Both point to tax as the cause. CarNewsChina says cars are generally expensive in Sri Lanka “due to import duties and taxes”, and EconomyNext says imported vehicles face heavy taxes following currency depreciation and balance-of-payments pressures.
Battery, sales target and next market
The Racco comes with a 22.4 kWh or a 35.84 kWh LFP battery, and neither Sri Lankan report says which one the 11,450,000-rupee car carries. JKCG’s chief executive, Charith Panditharatne, calls kei cars “a category that is already very popular with Sri Lankan buyers”, which is the case the importer is making for a 3,000-unit first year. BYD says around 15,000 of its vehicles are already on Sri Lankan roads.
In Japan, EconomyNext says more than 1,500 Raccos have been sold since the July launch. CarNewsChina reports that the car will shortly enter Macau as well.
