BYD wants to gain ground by taking up less space: from the small Racco to a potential rival of the Smart #2
BYD is expanding its horizons for the future of small electric cars. After launching the kei car Racco in Japan, the future points to an even more compact vehicle, an anti Smart #2.
BYD is moving its pieces in the lower segments of the automotive market. After launching the first Seagull in China, its larger European version Dolphin Surf, and recently giving a new larger size to the second generation Seagull, “smaller things” are coming.
One of them we already know, and it is the kei car Racco for the Japanese market. We even predicted that this model could lay the foundation for a future small electric car for the European market, but perhaps we were wrong. And all after knowing one of the latest patents registered by the Chinese brand.
BYD could prepare an anti Smart #2
Although the patent was originally presented last December, it is now that the National Intellectual Property Administration of China has published the new design patent of BYD for a two-door microcar.
The patent leaves us, on one side, the design team behind the project, among which is the renowned Wolfgang Egger, designer in his day for the Volkswagen Group and who has been at BYD since 2017. And on the other side, the sketches of what appears to be a vehicle that could rival the recently launched Smart #2.
There are no specific technical specifications or official details that BYD is still working on a project of these characteristics. It could be a design exercise for the future of some of their models, or lay the foundations for a two-door microcar.
The sketches show us a small two-door urban vehicle with a symmetrical design language between the front and the rear, which seems to be smiling thanks to its light bars that span the entire width.
With such a low ground clearance, it is clear that its focus will be purely urban, with BYD's electric technology as the protagonist. But, are we facing a microcar capable of competing with the recently launched Smart #2 in China?
The latter measures 2.74 meters, but it remains to be seen if BYD will dare to venture into the segment of electric quadricycles, like the Citroën Ami or the FIAT Topolino, which measure 2.46 meters and are in a completely different category.
The BYD Racco feels “big”
When BYD announced its intentions to enter the competitive kei car segment in Japan, it did so alongside the Racco. A small electric vehicle launched to face the renowned Japanese brands head-on.
This Racco measures 3.39 meters, far from the 3.78 meters of the first Seagull, with a power of just 47 kW (64 hp) and a range of up to 210 or 320 km, depending on the version, in the WLTC cycle.
Currently, the smallest BYD in the lineup is the Dolphin Surf, which measures 3.99 meters long and has a WLTP range of up to 322 kilometers. That is to say, the Chinese brand has plenty of room to explore the arrival of smaller models, especially once in Europe, there should be a push for the sale of small electric vehicles.
Without a doubt, taking advantage of the development of models like the Racco or this potential new anti Smart #2 microcar would be the perfect excuse to bring them here to Europe. If it copies the characteristics of the latter, we would be talking about a vehicle capable of approaching 300 kilometers of range in less than 3 meters in length.
* This news is an AI translation of the original content. Motenic.com is part of Motor.es.