Byton Shows How Cars Are Turning Into Smartphones By Announcing App Developer Program

The upcoming Byton M-Byte wants not only to dominate the screen real-estate wars among electric cars with its humongous 48-inch display but also to become the world’s first smart device on wheels, according to the company at least.

Byton celebrated the M-Byte’s North American premiere at the CES in Las Vegas this week, announcing at the same time the first partners that will help build an ecosystem for the aforementioned 48-inch display, akin to smartphone makers.

Related: Byton Can Legally Sell Cars In U.S., $45,000 M-Byte EV Coming In 2021

The new partners include ViacomCBS and Access for in-car theater experience; AccuWeather for real-time weather updates; Aiqudo for voice control; Cloudcar, which will provide the cloud-based infrastructure; Road.Travel for easy online trip booking; and Xperi for digital HD Radio.

“Like any great smart device, it is not just what it can do but what you do with it,” said Dr. Andreas Schaaf, Byton’s Chief Customer Officer. “With the new partnerships announced and the limitless potential offered by the Byton Developer Program, we envision a revolutionary interaction that will be a game changer for the Byton M-Byte and its users.”

Byton’s newly launched Developer Program offers a new platform to create and integrate content and services that will eventually unlock the potential of the company’s UI that focuses on the unique 48-inch display.

“We knew from the outset that in order to deliver the industry’s first Smart Device on Wheels, we would need to invite partners to create truly compelling interactions,” said Jeff Chung, Vice President of Digital Engineering at Byton. “We also believe that Byton’s unique user interface offers developers a challenge and an opportunity to engage with an in-car experience like none they ever seen.”

The new Byton M-Byte will be offered with two battery sizes – 72 or 95kWh -, as well as rear- and all-wheel drive versions with up to 402 HP in the range-topping model. Prices are expected to start from $45,000, once Byton is officially launched in the US market in 2021.