Suzuki e Sky electric kei car unveiled, likely heading abroad

Suzuki has revealed its first electric passenger kei car, the e Sky, and it will be sold in Japan and the UK, as well as possibly Europe and India.

The e Sky will be unveiled in full later this quarter, before going on sale in Japan before the current financial year finishes at the end of March 2027.

According to Motor1, the production car is 3395mm long, 1475mm wide, 1625mm tall, and rides on a 2460mm wheelbase. Its length and width, as well as power output, are constrained to meet Japan's kei car regulations, which bring tax and registration benefits for buyers.

There's an electric motor driving the front wheels, which we expect to make the class-standard 47kW, while DC fast-charging maxes out at 50kW.

The e Sky weighs just 1030kg and has a 26kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Final range figures have yet to be announced, but the company is focussing on efficiency and is targeting a range of 310km, presumably under the generous WLTC standard.

In Japan, the e Sky's competitors will include the Nissan Sakura/Mitsubishi eK X, Honda N-One e:, and BYD Racco. 

The Sakura/eK X has the smallest battery of the bunch at just 20kWh, delivering a WLTC range rating of 180km. In the middle is the N-One e: with a 29.6kWh battery and a claimed range of 295km (WLTC), while at top of the pack is the BYD Racco, which has a 35.8kWh battery and 320km of WLTC range.

Stepping inside, the e Sky is modern without being flashy, and features a digital instrumentation display paired with a 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen.

A traditional gear lever pokes out of the dashboard, and there's a strip of capacitive controls for the air-conditioning system.

In July, Suzuki UK's boss told Autocar the e Sky will be launched locally during the second quarter of 2027 as part of a push to meet the country's EV mandate, which currently requires 80 per cent of all new cars sold in the UK to be electric by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035.

The e Sky could also serve as the basis for a new entry-level EV to be built by Maruti Suzuki in India starting in 2028.

In the UK, the e Sky will be pitched against the Renault Twingo, as well as the Honda Super-One, which is also known as the Super-N. Both the Renault and Honda are priced from around £19,000 (A$36,000) there.

We don't know if Suzuki intends to alter the e Sky for markets outside of Japan. For example, the Honda Super-One is based on the N-One e: sold in Japan, but has a wider track, tougher styling, and peak output boosted to 70kW.

Also many Jimny variants sold in Japan comply with kei car regulations, and thus miss out on the wheel-arch extensions, wider track and more powerful engines seen in models sold elsewhere, including Australia.

It's not known if Suzuki's Australian distributor plans to bring the e Sky to Australia. If it does come Down Under, it will be the brand's second EV after the e Vitara.

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