Byton’s first car, the M-Byte electric SUV, will be available in late 2020. The car interior is equipped with a 48-inch screen along the entire windshield and touch panels on the steering wheel. According to Daniel Kirchert, the head of the company, so far no one in the industry has done this. In addition, the machine will have a voice and gesture control function. The software will be updated, like Tesla, wirelessly.
Kircher in an interview with BI said that the Byton electric car will be a fundamental breakthrough. At the same time, the company does not agree with the widespread belief that the large screen will distract the driver.
Byton believes that the 48-inch display, located far from the driver’s seat, will not interfere with driving. It will be convenient for the person driving to cast quick glances at the readings of the instruments. And the screen size will make cards and other programs more understandable.
In addition, Kircher hopes to avoid Tesla’s mistakes in organizing production. To do this, Byton collaborates with major German automotive brands Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. And she is not going to excessively lean on the automation of assembly lines, as Elon Musk did in 2017, trying to speed up the release of Model 3.
True, the company will not have 10-15 years to achieve the profit that Tesla needed. According to a company representative, Byton will have to reach this point no later than two to three years after the start of sales of M-Byte. The only way is to sell a lot of cars. Therefore, the model will cost about 50 thousand dollars.
The release of M-Byte in China is scheduled for this year, in North America and Europe, the car will appear in 2021.
According to Wood Mackenzie forecasts, Volkswagen will become the main manufacturer of electric vehicles in ten years. The company will receive a significant market share of 27%. Or more – if VW can release an electric car cheaper than Tesla.