Electric vehicle startup Byton has unveiled its new
K-Byte concept at a special event in Shanghai. Designed to preview a 2021
production model, the K-Byte is being billed as a sporty sedan specially made
for the “age of autonomous driving.”
The model will be shown at CES Asia later this week
and it features a streamlined appearance with a distinctive front fascia and
slender LED lighting units. We can also see a relatively large greenhouse and
flying rear buttresses which help to improve the car’s aerodynamics.
Getting back to the autonomous driving bit, the
K-Byte has integrated and retractable sensors that “strike a fine balance
between aesthetics and real-world practicality.” The most notable are the
retractable “LiGuards” which are lidar sensors that are located on the front
fenders. They are automatically deployed when autonomous driving mode is
selected and they retract when the vehicle is being parked. The sensors are
also equipped with lights which can be “illuminated for a range of specific
purposes, such as signaling pedestrians.”
Besides the side-mounted sensors, the concept has a
roof-mounted LiBow system which features front and rear facing lidar sensors.
With all four sensors deployed, the car has a full panoramic view of its
surroundings.
The sensors aren’t just for show as Byton has
partnered with Aurora to develop a Level 4 semi-autonomous driving system. The
two companies expect to have a fleet of Level 4 prototypes ready for testing by
the end of 2020. Byton says this will pave the way for introducing the
technology on mainstream vehicles.
Byton didn’t release technical specifications but
the company confirmed it will use the “Byte” name on its three upcoming models.
Furthermore, the company announced its crossover concept has been renamed the
M-Byte.