China Based BYTON unviels its all electric SUV

After a few month of teasing and confirming that it will launch in the US in 2020, Byton, the international brand of China-based EV startup Future Mobility Corp, unveiled its first electric vehicle, which it refers to as “an electric intelligent SUV.”

As we previously reported, Byton was founded by a bunch of executives from Tesla, BMW, and Nissan, and it has several Chinese investors, including Tencent Holdings, which is now also an important investor in Tesla.

The company is part of a growing trend of Chinese electric vehicle startups launching new EVs in China but who also have international ambitions.

Their first vehicle unveiled this weekend at CES, a small electric SUV, is planned to hit the Chinese market next year before coming to the US and Europe in 2020.

They showed the vehicle for the first time during an event in Las Vegas last night:

They listed the key features in a press release:

• Shared lounge experience for in-car communication, entertainment and work, with content and connection driven by the BYTON Life cloud platform
• A single 125 x 25 cm (49 x 9.8 inch) Shared Experience Display center console, along with three additional display screens
• Unique human-vehicle interaction incorporating voice recognition, touch control, biometric identification and hand gesture control technology
• Incorporation of Amazon Alexa for intelligent voice control, with additional Amazon collaboration on audio and video content
• Maximum range of 520 km (323 miles) on a single charge

That range will be enabled by a 95 kwh battery pack a 4-wheel-drive dual motor 350 kW powertrain for a premium, but the base version starting at $45,000 will be powered by a single RWD 200 kW motor and a 71 kwh battery pack for a driving range of 400 km (248.5 miles).

The company claims to be able to charge the battery pack to “80% in just 30 minutes.”

Byton also announced that all its vehicles, a sedan and “multi-purpose vehicle” will follow, will be equipped with level 4 autonomous driving-ready hardware. Level 3 will be available at launch and level 4 software will be released with an update in 2020, according to the company.

Most of the presentation for the launch of the SUV revolved around Byton’s connectivity and user interface features.

Here’s an extensive list from the press release:

• BYTON Intuitive Access: a different method of unlocking the car.
• User profiles auto-enabled for every BYTON.
• BYTON Air Touch for advanced gesture control.
• The Driver Tablet allows the driver to control the Shared Experience Display, navigation, seat adjustment and other functions.
• Four BYTON Life features on display at CES include my HEALTH, my COMMUNICATION, my ENTERTAINMENT and my ACTIVITIES.
• BYTON Concept supports video and telephone conference capability, enabling users to work productively while commuting, or connect with family and friends.
• Seamless switch from the outside to the inside the car.
• Advanced AI and machine learning capabilities.
• BYTON’s interconnected hardware prepares for 5G communications.
• Data security built into all features and services.

We are talking about a mid-luxury SUV at $45,000 with a significant battery capacity close to the base version of Tesla’s Model X. The higher-end version with dual motor and a bigger battery pack could theoretically even be competitive with Tesla’s flagship electric SUV.

Otherwise, it sounds like it could be a competitor to Tesla’s upcoming Model Y, which is expected around the same time.

I think Byton might be a company to watch in the next few years. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.