author: Eric Walz

SANTA CLARA, Calif., — Intelligent electric vehicle maker BYTON is expanding its global footprint with the opening of a new Los Angeles facility and the hiring of two key executives. BYTON will also receive broad exposure to the world stage with the introduction of its Smart Intuitive Vehicle (SIV), the BYTON Concept, later this month at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show.

BYTON first announced the expansion of its U.S. footprint following the opening of its North American headquarters in Silicon Valley in December 2017, which has grown to almost 300 employees.

BYTON's Silicon Valley office will continue to focus on developing the technology for the Smart Intuitive Vehicle at its launch expected in Q4 2019.

Located in a global hub for automotive design and innovation, BYTON's new Los Angeles Future Lab will focus on developing the latest forward-thinking user experiences and advanced concepts to define the future of driving and ride-sharing. BYTON's newest facility is charged with ensuring that the company remains a leader in intelligent and intuitive UX design.

BYTON already boasts one of the most unique UI/UX designs in the automotive world, as the BYTON Concept includes state-of-the-art design such as its industry-first Shared Experience Display (SED), which stretches across the entire dashboard. BYTON's vehicle also includes hands-free gesture controls, and a Driver Tablet installed in the steering wheel console.

The BYTON Shared Experience Display

"Revolutionizing the user experience in the car is at the core of BYTON. We're working very hard to make sure your BYTON vehicle is a next-generation smart device—a smartphone on wheels," said Dr. Carsten Breitfeld, CEO and Co-Founder, BYTON. "Our L.A. Future Lab will push that idea to the bleeding edge of what's possible, and we're already excited for what we will be able to share in the future."

BYTON also announced the addition of two new executives to its senior management team. Chad Harrison is joining the company as its vice president of product-line management, and David Twohig as BYTON's chief automotive engineer. Harrison is a 22-year veteran of the automotive industry and formerly chief automotive engineer for Honda R&D America. Twohig is a highly-respected engineer who most recently led the development of the Alpine A110 as Chief Engineer at Alpine.

In addition to its North American growth, BYTON will also introduce the innovative BYTON Concept to the Asian market at the Beijing Motor Show, one of the leading motor shows in the world, April 20-26.

During the conference, BYTON will announce their latest developments and future outlooks, including plant construction progress, strategic partnerships, and brand store plans.

"Our first BYTON Concept successfully made its world debut in the U.S. and we are thrilled to offer the same experience to the Chinese market, including our unique product positioning and design differentiation," said Daniel Kirchert, President and Co-Founder, BYTON.

In February, BYTON joined Volkswagen and Hyundai as partners with Silicon Valley-based Aurora Innovation Inc., which is developing an autonomous self-driving car platform that it hopes will be adopted by a number of major automakers. Aurora was co-founded by Chris Urmson, the former head of Google's self-driving car program, now called Waymo.



