Byton is a newly found carmaker formed by a Chinese electric car start-up called Future Mobility (FMC). The Chinese electric carmaker has teased its first car which will be a mid-sized SUV. It will make its public debut at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The new unnamed electric SUV will boast of all the futuristic technologies associated with modern electric cars. The dimension is expected to be in line with the Audi Q5, but the cabin space will be as much as the opulent Mercedes-Benz S-Class. There will be a larger-than-life infotainment screen inside the cabin with interactive features both for the driver and passengers. One of the teaser images also showcases a steering mounted screen which can be used for in-car functions.
The powertrain details are unclear at the moment, but the carmaker says the car would be capable of running 350 kilometres on a full charge. A 500 kilometre range will also be available and 10 minutes of charging is claimed to be sufficient for a range of 120 kilometers. As with all the electric cars these days, the Byton SUV will be equipped with the Level 5 autonomous driving credentials. However, the SUV won’t be fully autonomous at the time of launch but will receive constant over-the-air updates; similar to how Tesla updates its autonomous hardware.
The Byton electric SUV is expected to hit the production line not before 2019. Following that, there are plans of an electric saloon in 2021, which will be joined by a seven-seater in 2022. The cars will be produced at the FMC facility in Nanjing, China. The upcoming plant will be capable of producing 1,00,000 units each year from 2019. However, the peak production capacity is rated at 300,000 units per annum.
