Chinese electric vehicle startup Byton said it was granted licenses that will allow it to commence U.S. sales in 2021.
The company, in which China’s state-owned FAW Group has a 15 per cent stake, announced that the state of California issued both a dealer license for its U.S. retail entity, Byton Cars California LLC, and a distributor license for its North American distribution entity, Byton Americas LLC. These two will form the foundation of what the company calls a hybrid retail model in the United States.
More specifically, they will allow Byton to sell and lease directly to customers in California and online to customers in other states at an MSRP of $45,000.
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The production Byton M-Byte had its world debut earlier this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show
“We’re building a retail model that has never been attempted in the U.S. It is important that we put the right pieces in place now in order to make the Byton experience easy and enjoyable when we launch in the U.S. in 2021,” Jose Guerrero, managing director of Byton Americas, said in a statement released on Tuesday.
In the release, the company also said the the M-Byte is on track to launch in China next year, followed by the U.S. and Europe in 2021. Pre-production of the EV began in Nanjing, China on October 24. If everything goes according to plan, Byton could become the first Chinese automaker to sell cars in the United States.
The range-topping 4WD model has 402 HP from two electric motors and a 95-kWh battery providing an estimated 270-mile driving range (WLTP)
To that end, Byton also announced a collaboration with Electrify America that will give M-Byte U.S. owners access on Electrify America’s network of DC Fast public charging stations.
As part of the program, buyers of the M-Byte EV will get two years of complimentary unlimited 30 minute access to Electrify America’s growing network of public DC Fast charging stations, as well as unlimited 60 minute charging sessions at all of the company’s public Level 2 chargers.
The Byton M-Byte features the world’s largest screen in a production car, a 48-inch curved display
This means Byton owners will have access to over 3,500 150kW+ chargers at over 800 Electrify America locations across the States projected by the end of 2021.
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