Byton (company)

Byton is a Chinese all-electric vehicle automotive brand established in 2017 and incorporated in Hong Kong,[1] co-founded by former BMW and Nissan Motor executives. Byton unveiled its first concept car to the public in January 2018.[2] The company is currently running a trial shop at its Nanjing headquarters where drivable prototypes are built. It plans to introduce its M-Byte SUV model first, with the start of production scheduled for late 2019. The SUV will go on sale in China end of 2019, followed by the U.S. and European markets in the second half of 2020.[3]

Byton
Private
IndustryAutomotive, E-Mobility
Founded2017 (2017)
Headquarters
Nanjing
,
China
Key people
Dr. Daniel Kirchert
ProductsElectric Vehicles
28,5 million (end of 2019)
Number of employees
more than 10 worldwide (July 2020)
ParentChina Harmony New Energy Auto Holding Ltd
Websitebyton.com

In June 2020, however, the company suspended production for reorganization for a planned six month period. [4]

Company

In 2016, Tencent, together with Foxconn and luxury-car dealer Harmony New Energy Auto founded Future Mobility, a car startup that aims to sell all-electric fully autonomous premium cars in 2020.[5]

The company was co-founded by Carsten Breitfeld, CEO, and Daniel Kirchert, president.[6] It is a subsidiary of China Harmony New Energy Auto Holding Limited.[7]

In January 2017, the company announced its first manufacturing facility would be located in Nanjing, China at a cost of US$1.7 billion and an initial production capacity of 150,000 cars.[8]

In 2018, Chinese state owned First Auto Works invested a “significant amount of money” into the EV startup Byton.[9]

In April 2020, the company furloughed about half of the 450 employees who work at its North American headquarters. [10]

In June 2020, the company suspended production for reorganization for a planned six month period. [11] [12]

Products
Byton M-Byte (formerly Concept)
Byton K-Byte Concept

The company announced its ambition to launch three electric car models by 2022.[13]

Naming

Byton's cars are named as a variation on the term "Byte", such as "M-Byte" and "K-Byte".[14]

Byton M-Byte
Main article: Byton M-Byte

The Byton M-Byte is an all-electric battery-powered SUV concept car.[15][16] It was first announced is the mid-sized Byton crossover, but only in concept form, with sales expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2019 in China, Europe and the US. It was unveiled at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas on 7 January 2018.[17]

Byton K-Byte
Main article: Byton K-Byte

The Byton K-Byte is an all-electric battery-powered sedan concept car.[18] In June 2018, Byton unveiled the Byton K-Byte Concept sedan at CES Asia previewing a luxury electric sedan.

See also

References
  1. "China e-car newcomer Future Mobility raises $200 million from Suning, others". Reuters. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  2. "CES 2018: Byton unveils futuristic 'truly smart' car". BBC News. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  3. "China EV Startup Is Said to Seek $500 Million in Fundraising". 7 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  4. "Chinese EV startup Byton to suspend production for reorganization". Automotive News Europe. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  5. "Tencent-Backed Company Aims to Launch Smart-Electric Cars Before 2020". 12 July 2016 – via www.wsj.com.
  6. "Tesla execs join BMW's former electric vehicle leadership at new Chinese startup". Electrek. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  7. "China Harmony New Energy Auto Holding Limited Announces 2016 Interim Results". Harmony Group. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  8. "China EV Startup Future Mobility to Build $1.7 Billion Factory". Bloomberg. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  9. https://www.electrive.com/2018/04/20/chinas-state-car-manufacturer-faw-invests-in-byton/
  10. "EV startup Byton furloughs half of its 450-person staff in the US". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  11. "Chinese EV startup Byton to suspend production for reorganization". Automotive News Europe. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  12. "Byton may be facing bankruptcy". electrive.com. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  13. "China e-car venture Future Mobility names brand Byton, eyes U.S., Europe". Reuters. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  14. Stephen Edelstein (12 June 2018). "Chinese startup aims to set design direction for autonomous cars". Digital Trends.
  15. KARISSA BELL (8 January 2018). "This wild-looking electric SUV concept has way more tech than anyone needs". Mashable.
  16. SASHA LEKACH (12 June 2018). "Byton's new electric sedan concept car is even flashier than its SUV". Mashable.
  17. "Byton Concept electric SUV ride review". Auto Express. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  18. JACK STEWART (12 June 2018). "BYTON'S K-BYTE ELECTRIC CONCEPT MAKES SELF-DRIVING LOOK GOOD". Wired Magazine.
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