Chinese Startup Byton Unveils Self-Driving EV

Chinese Startup Byton Unveils Self-Driving EV

Published: January 24, 2018 | By: American Luxury Staff

Another day, another automotive startup trying to make a name for itself in the self-driving electric vehicle market.

Chinese-backed startup Byton just introduced its impressive new self-driving EV at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Although the company had been releasing hints about the vehicle, it wasn’t until recently that we finally got a good look at the special concept.

The electric SUV is intended to compete in the crossover/premium SUV market, and with a number of high-tech features, it certainly stands out from the crowd. The Byton Concept is a truly a smart car with tons of advanced tech: face recognition unlocking, Byton Life cloud platform, video conferencing, and much more.

One of the most impressive features is the “Shared Experience Display” in the cabin, a high-tech display screen centered on the dashboard. And not only can drivers engage autonomous driving mode, they can also adjust settings or even connect with Amazon’s Alexa. Very exciting stuff, in theory.

The production model will come in two versions, including a four-wheel-drive iteration with a 95-kWh battery and a rear-drive model with a 71-kWh battery. The rear-drive model will boast a range of 248.5 miles, while the four-wheel-drive version will sport a range of 323 miles on a single charge.

Byton plans to build and sell the production model for Chinese customers as soon as 2019, and to begin exporting to Europe and the U.S. in 2020. The Byton SUV will start at just $45,000.

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