November 25, 2019 - BYTON is a premium, smart electric vehicle manufacturer focused on the future of mobility. As an EV startup, BYTON is more than another car brand. Its crafted cars integrate advanced digital technologies to offer customers a smart, safe, comfortable and eco-friendly driving and mobility experience.
The company aims to create a premium brand rooted in China with global reach via a network of highly integrated operations. The headquarters of the company is in Nanjing, China, which is also home to its “industry 4.0” intelligent manufacturing base. BYTON has set up R&D Centers in China, North America and Europe. Its North American headquarters in Silicon Valley is focused on developing cutting-edge technologies for applications across the intelligent car user experience, as well as developing and managing North American operations. The European R&D center is based in Munich, Germany, and is responsible for design, prototypes and concept models. BYTON also has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, which oversee external affairs, marketing, sales, design and investor relations.
BYTON M-Byte Concept and BYTON K-Byte Concept
BYTON will manufacture three new models based on its BYTON Smart EV Platform, including an SUV, a sedan and an MPV. The first model, the BYTON M-Byte, is a premium, smart, mid-sized electric SUV.
The BYTON M-Byte Concept had its world premiere at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, with its European debut at Milan Design Week in April of 2018, and its China debut at Auto China 2018 in Beijing. BYTON`s second concept vehicle, the BYTON K-Byte Concept, is a premium sedan designed for the era of autonomous driving, which was unveiled to the world in Shanghai at BYTON Night in June 2018, one day before its CES Asia 2018 reveal.
The M-Byte* production model was unveiled at the IAA 2019.
Top Experts from all over the world
BYTON Chief Executive Officer and founder of BYTON, Dr. Daniel Kirchert is a well-recognized leader in the premium auto industry and is widely regarded as an expert in the automotive landscape in China. Before starting BYTON, he led BMW and Infiniti in achieving record sales in China.
BYTON´s core management team consists of leading experts in their respective fields from China, Europe and the U.S., all of whom have held senior management positions in innovative companies such as BMW, Tesla, Google and Apple. Their expertise covers automotive design, automotive engineering and manufacturing, electric powertrain, intelligent connectivity and supply chain management among other industry sectors, the sum of which represents BYTON´s strengths in R&D and manufacturing premium automobiles that are equipped with cutting-edge digital technologies.
BYTON is an innovation-driven startup and has successfully completed series B financing. Current shareholders include BYTON´s founding team and well-recognized investor groups such as Nanjing Qiningfeng New Energy Automotive Industrial Investment Fund, FAW and CATL, among others.
BYTON Plant built to Industry 4.0 standards
The BYTON Nanjing plant covers an area of 800,000 square meters, with a total investment of over 1.4 billion Euros (USD $1.5 billion). It incorporates the world’s best equipment and production processes, and follows the highest standards in safety and environmentally responsible production.
Plant construction, which started in September 2017, is nearing completion. Construction of the five major workshops – namely stamping, welding, painting, assembly and battery – has been completed with equipment currently being installed and commissioning underway.
BYTON’s Nanjing plant is built to industry 4.0 standards, using global leading manufacturing equipment and technology:
- The stamping shop, using the industry-top servo press, completes one panel every 3 seconds on average. It will be one of the fastest stamping production lines in China.
- The welding shop, which incorporates 335 welding robots supplied by leading manufacturing equipment provider KUKA, boosts the automation rate to 99%.
- The paint shop is equipped with cutting-edge painting technologies such as a “3 Coating 2 Baking” system and thin film pre-treatment as well as the transverse “Eco-Incure” oven technology – one of the first in China.
- The battery shop will produce and assemble battery packs, designed independently by BYTON. Leading battery maker CATL provides the battery cells and modules, while aluminium maker Constellium supplies the aluminium battery tray.
