Byton Announces M-Byte European Launch Info ‘Prior To The Geneva Motor Show’

Byton, the Chinese EV startup, has announced more details about the European market launch of the M-Byte crossover.

That’s perfectly normal of them but the company says the new information comes “prior to the Geneva Motor Show.” Well, of course we all know that the event has been canceled this year, but anyway, Byton has announced retail, service and charging partners in Europe so here’s what you need to know in case the M-Byte interests you.

For starters, you should know the launch of the M-Byte on the continent is more than a year away as Byton plans to enter the first European markets by the end of 2021.

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

Based on current reservations, the M-Byte will launch in several waves in Europe, with the first wave including markets like Switzerland, Germany, Norway, France, Netherlands and Sweden. Speaking of reservations, Byton claims it has 25,000 of them from Europe, out of a total of 65,000.

That’s not bad at all but one has to consider the fact that customers did not need to pay anything to secure a reservation. However, reservation holders will need to put their money where their mouths are when pre-orders open in the second half of 2020. That’s because they will need to pay a fully refundable €500 ($560) fee to secure an early position in the production.

The Byton M-Byte will start from €45,000 ($50,275) in Europe, excluding VAT and possible government subsidies. The base model features a 72 kWh battery and 200 kW (272 PS / 268 HP) rear-mounted electric motor, with the range WLTP-rated at 360 km (224 miles). Byton will also sell a high-performance 4WD variant equipped with a 95 kWh battery and 300 kW (408 PS / 403 HP) motors offering a range of 435 km (270 miles). The 2WD version of the same powertrain will be able to cover 460 km (286 miles) on a single charge.

Byton says it will offer a premium Hybrid Sales Model (online-to-offline), with its first flagship store (called Byton Place) in the region to open in Zurich, Switzerland in the second quarter of 2021.

As for charging, Byton signed a strategic partnership with Munich-based Digital Charging Solutions (DCS) to develop a fully integrated charging experience. Key features will include access to 150,000 charging points for both AC and DC-fast charging in 28 European countries, as well as charging stations of over 450 major chargepoint operators (CPOs) such as IONITY, FastNed, EnBW, Allego, Innogy, NewMotion, Izivia, Swisscharge and local utilities.

Charging solutions will be both physical and digital for home, commercial and public charging. They will include a 22 kW mobile charger and 22 kW connected wall box. An AC charger as well as a 150 kW DC fast-charger will be offered for commercial customers.