Byton is a China-based electric-vehicle startup building the M-Byte, an SUV centered on a 48-inch wraparound digital dashboard called the “Byton Stage.” The company is assembling a content and services ecosystem for the dashboard via partnerships with ViacomCBS, AccuWeather, Xperi, Aiqudo, Cloud Car, Road.Travel and Access Twine. The M-Byte is slated for volume production later this year at Byton’s Nanjing factory and is priced at $45,000; launches are planned in China (H2 2020), the U.S., and early European markets (H1 2021). Byton is also developing stationary energy storage systems based on the M-Byte battery technology to be manufactured at its Nanjing battery assembly line. The company weathered a tumultuous year that included the departure of co-founder Carsten Breitfeld and fundraising challenges, but says it has secured new Series C investors. Byton develops smart, connected all-electric vehicles and showcased an all-electric SUV concept at the Consumer Electronics Show. The company is building both traditional automotive R&D and internet-enabled vehicle features and has an R&D center in Santa Clara, California. It opened a new headquarters in Nanjing, China to support production and operations. Byton has partnered with autonomous vehicle startup Aurora, which will power Byton’s autonomous driving features via a pilot deployment in the next couple of years. The company plans to roll out its first batch of prototypes in April 2019 and aims to launch a mass-produced model in Q4 2019. The recent capital raise is intended to fund development of its smart mobility products and commercialization plans.

Total raised

$500M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Jun 2018