BYTON unveils its production-ready electric SUV M-Byte

BYTON, a premium brand for smart electric vehicles, unveiled the BYTON M-Byte SUV at IAA Frankfurt.

The SUV is available with a 72 kWh battery (224 miles / 360 km WLTP range) and an extended version with 95 kWh (286 miles / 460 km).

The rear-wheel drive version offers power of 268 hp (200 kW). The AWD comes with an additional front e-motor for combined power of 402 hp (300kW). AC charging is up to 22 kW, while DC fast charging is up to 150 kW. That results in a sufficient charge for approximately 60 miles (100 km) of range in a competitive 10 minutes.

With the innovative M-Byte cockpit, centred around a 48-inch curved Display, the largest in the automotive industry, BYTON fulfils its promise of implementing a user-centric operating philosophy. Users can interact with the display in a variety of ways - via 7-inch Driver Tablet, 8-inch Co-Driver Tablet, gesture control, voice commands (partnering with Amazon Alexa), as well as traditional hard-buttons.

The BYTON M-Byte is the start-up's first model to go into series production in its own 8.6 million sq.ft. plant in Nanjing, China. The vehicle is positioned in the premium segment with a highly competitive target MSRP of $45,000. As a fully electric vehicle, the M-Byte may qualify for various government incentives.

BYTON plans to start production for the Chinese market in mid-2020. Pre-orders in Europe and North America will start in 2020, followed by market entry in 2021.

BYTON is about to close its $500 million C-round fundraising. Investors include FAW Group who recently signed a C-Round investment agreement with BYTON. Other investors include the industrial investment fund of the Nanjing Municipal Government.