Suzuki is planning to introduce an electric Kei Car called Vision e-Sky in Europe as early as next year. The micro vehicle is set to debut in its home market of Japan this autumn, with plans to launch in European countries, including the UK, a few months later.
According to Nikkei Asia, citing people familiar with the matter, Suzuki Motor plans to bring an affordable electric microcar from a vehicle class unique to Japan to overseas markets.
The Vision e-Sky is set to be produced at a plant southwest of Tokyo, with its world premiere scheduled for this autumn in Japan. Exports to Europe are expected to follow in 2027. “European countries under consideration for sales include the United Kingdom and Italy,” Nikkei Asia reports.
No bargain
The move would mark a first for Suzuki, as “this is believed to be the first time Suzuki exports a Kei car almost unchanged from a model it sells in Japan.” Citing its sources, Nikkei Asia puts the expected UK price at under £20,000, equivalent to less than €23,400. For a microcar, that would still be relatively high.
Suzuki has revealed few details about the vehicle itself. The Japanese newspaper reports that the Vision e-Sky will be Suzuki’s first battery-electric Kei car and was “designed partly with exports in mind.” It mentions a target range of 310 kilometers, but it does not specify the test cycle. The batteries are expected to come from BYD’s corporate network, making LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cells likely.
Not a ‘light vehicle’
Kei cars should not be confused with electric light vehicles in the European L7e and L6e categories. The announced range of the Suzuki model underlines the difference, as does the design of the Vision e-Sky. Early product images show a four-door, four-seater vehicle that, as is typical for Kei cars, is notably narrow. The wheels are also unusually small for European standards.
Size-wise, the new small Suzuki would fit into the new M1E category the European Union created to promote small electric cars and, at the same time, help European car manufacturers. But the ‘Small Affordable Car’ initiative stipulates that these cars have to be produced in Europe.
New opportunities?
Nevertheless, entering the electric microcar segment could open up new opportunities for Suzuki in Europe. The Japanese manufacturer risks losing further ground on the continent, as its latest business figures show: Suzuki’s European sales fell by 15% in the last fiscal year, which ended in March, to just 187,000 vehicles.
