Startup unveils ‘car of future’ for $45,000

LAS VEGAS-Agence France-Presse

A Chinese startup unveiled its vision for the automobile of the future on Jan. 7, promising to deliver an “intuitive and intelligent” car to global markets starting next year from around $45,000.

The electric-powered concept car shown by Byton at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is touted as a computing device on wheels, equipped with a “digital” lounge featuring a panoramic display acting as a hub for navigation, entertainment and even monitoring the health of its occupants.

Backed by more than $200 million from investors including Chinese tech giant Tencent, Byton -- whose name was chosen to suggest “bytes on wheels” -- is among the latest entrants to a crowded field of startups and established players looking to emulate Tesla in the race for a new kind of vehicle which can be adapted for autonomous driving.

“This is a product which is tailor-made for the future, which is autonomous and shared,” said Daniel Kirchert, president and co-founder of the Nanjing-based startup.

Byton, led by former executives from Tesla, BMW, Apple and Google, said it expects to launch in China by 2019 and in the U.S. and Europe by 2020.