Byton Finishes Testing The M-Byte Electric SUV In Snowy Mongolia

Chinese car manufacturer Byton recently announced that it has completed its initial round of cold weather testing for its upcoming M-Byte all-electric SUV.

Byton first offered the world a look at its first production model at CES back in early 2018 with its Crossover Concept that previewed the M-Byte. Since the concept’s premiere, prototypes of the M-Byte have been testing around the world.

In a statement, chief executive Daniel Kirchert revealed that cold weather testing in Mongolia focused on “durability and powertrain calibration” as well as the battery and air conditioning systems of the vehicle. With this initial testing phase complete, Byton will start testing its prototypes in North America as it gets ready to commence production of the SUV before the end of the year.

Byton intends on selling the M-Byte in both rear- and all-wheel drive configurations featuring single- and dual-motor designs respectively. Sitting at the bottom of the range will be a rear-wheel drive model with 268 hp and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) on tap by its single electric motor. The aforementioned all-wheel drive model will use two electric motors and deliver a combined 469 hp and 523 lb-ft (710 Nm) of torque. This variant will also use a 95 kWh battery pack and travel up to 323 miles (520 km) on a single charge.

The car manufacturer isn’t just working on an all-electric SUV, though. At last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, it unveiled the K-Byte concept sedan as a first glimpse into its second production model. The M-Byte and K-Byte will share many parts and be underpinned by the same platform. A third, yet-to-be-revealed EV will also use the same underpinnings.