2019 Byton M-Byte electric SUV digital dashboard revealed

The model will be available in two configurations, including a twin-motor four-wheel drive system with 469bhp. A saloon, which was previewed as a concept last June, and MPV are due to follow and use the same platform.

Initial prototypes of the SUV were completed at Byton’s factory in Nanjing, China, with a small batch subsequently built for crash tests and development prototyping. These prototypes have taken to closed test tracks and open public roads in China and the US, with production mooted in 2019. Byton has also announced that prices for the car will start at €37,500 in Europe (around £34,000).

“The development of the Byton M-Byte is progressing extremely well, with everything on track," said company CEO Carsten Breitfeld. "In recent months, we have already successfully completed crash and stability tests with the initial set of prototypes. Now the first prototypes are being road tested. The team’s pace and motivation is incredible.”

Why Volkswagen, Hyundai and Byton are teaming up with a self-driving start-up firm

The company's new headquarters in Nanjing, China, opened earlier this year, and construction of the first prototypes has been completed at its new-build production facility.

In addition to these, the company has also announced over $100 million of investment to help achieve its production goals from Chinese automotive giant FAW, with company co-founder Daniel Kirchert saying: "The Chinese automobile market offers excellent conditions for our company. The infrastructure developments, the market forecasts and the keen interest of the people in our products strengthen us enormously. Of course, our deep understanding of the Chinese market as a basis for our economic success also helps us.”

Byton revealed the near-production-ready version of its debut model at its European launch as part of Milan Design Week, last year.

The Concept, shown at the event in Milan, was described as being “85% there” by company boss Carsten Breitfeld, and builds on the version that was revealed at CES earlier this year. The firm says the focus of the machine is on allowing drivers to ‘enhance’ the time they spend in the car, rather than on-road performance.

Insight: why demand from China is spurring growth of electric car sales 

The Concept is 4850mm long, 1940mm wide and 1650mm high, and runs on 22in wheels. At the front of the car, slim LED headlights top what Byton refers to as a ‘smart surface’.

In place of door handles, the Concept features facial recognition cameras that check biometric data and will unlock the door to authorised users only.

Minor modifications were needed to meet legal requirements, although Breitfeld described the touchscreen-dominated interior as being “series production ready”.

The all-electric car is due to go on sale in China late next year, before arriving in Europe and the US in 2020 as the firm's first model.

The SUV will feature a high level of driver assistance systems, along with features such as biometric recognition and a large infotainment display that works in conjunction with a ‘Byton Life’ cloud-sharing platform.

Byton's SUV will come with driverless car technology provided by industry expert Aurora. Aurora is headed by Google's former autonomous driving boss, Chris Urmson, and several pioneers of the autonomous car industry. Its technology enables level four autonomy, meaning it will be able to drive itself without any human input.

Byton said its SUV will feature driver assistance systems based around Aurora's suite of hardware, including cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar and laser scanners. It has been designed so that components can be upgraded as technology develops. The vehicle architecture is designed for 5G mobile data connection, with speeds of up to 10GB per second.