Byton's new electric sedan concept car is even flashier than its SUV
Byton, the Chinese electric vehicle company, made a big splash with its Byton M-Byte SUV with four screens, facial recognition, and fitness tracker earlier this year.
Now it has another concept vehicle to show off, but this time it's a luxury electric sedan with more autonomous driving capabilities. At CES Asia the electric car startup is introducing the K-Byte, built on the same technical platform as the SUV. That means it shares the same specs and features as the SUV, including the battery with a max range of 323 miles on a single charge.
"It's easy to recognize," as a Byton vehicle, CEO Carsten Breitfeld said in a phone call ahead of the unveiling. He called the K-Byte "a modern interpretation of a sedan."
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Breitfeld said the car is designed for autonomous driving, but more importantly he wanted to incorporate the sensors, lasers, LIDAR and other self-driving equipment into the design. "We want to show in the future it’s not any longer about exhaust pipes, it’s about data, power and connectivity," he said.
Image: byton
The car will be capable of Level 4 autonomy through a partnership with Aurora, which means it can drive on its own without a human driver — but only in designated areas, if a city limits it. In China, there are pilot programs where officials approve certain roads for higher levels of autonomy, Breitfeld said. The SUV is configured for Level 3 autonomy.
The new car is targeting a $45,000 starting price just like the SUV. The sedan wants to make it onto the market in 2021.
Image: byton
Following these two ideas, Breitfeld said the company is working on a seven-seater electric vehicle that would be used for ride-hailing, shared rides, and carpooling. But that's a concept for next year.
If this all sounds too good to be true, remember these are all concepts — Byton hasn't produced the cars yet.
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