Suzuki’s first mini EV to launch in Japan at lowest starting price
Suzuki’s e SKY mini electric car has a 310km range and could cost 1.552 million yen after a state subsidy, with monthly sales in Japan targeted at 1,000.
- Suzuki is launching its first mini electric vehicle (EV), the e SKY, in Japan on November 16.
- The e SKY will have the lowest starting price in Japan's mini EV market at 2.12 million yen.
- A government subsidy can reduce the cost for buyers to as low as 1,552,000 yen.
- The vehicle features a 310-kilometre driving range, which is among the longest in its segment.
Suzuki Motor Corp. is targeting drivers switching from petrol cars with the e SKY, its first mini electric vehicle (EV), which goes on sale in Japan on November 16.
The company aims to sell 1,000 units a month.
Pricing announced on Tuesday (October 6) puts the e SKY at the cheapest end of Japan’s mini EV market, with a starting price of 2.12 million yen.
Buyers receiving the state subsidy of 568,000 yen would pay as little as 1,552,000 yen.
Japan’s mini EV market is expected to expand and become more competitive as Chinese manufacturers enter.
Among the forthcoming entrants is EMT Co., a Yokohama-based joint venture planning to introduce a mini EV in 2027.
Five companies established the venture, including Autobacs Seven Co. and China’s Chery Automobile Co.
Chinese EV giant BYD Co. already sells the Racco, launched in July, with 648 units sold by the end of September.
Priced at 2.14 million yen, the Racco is more expensive than Suzuki’s forthcoming model.
Weight reduction and improved energy efficiency give the e SKY a 310-kilometre driving range, among the longest in the segment.
Suzuki also applied decades of technical expertise in minivehicles to everyday convenience and ease of manoeuvring in tight spaces.
Suzuki president Toshihiro Suzuki described the thinking behind the model at a Tokyo press conference, saying the e SKY was packed with “features suited to everyday life”.
He called it “a vehicle built with the full strength of Suzuki”.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
