China's Technology Push Makes Us Wonder, Is Your First EV Going To Be A Mainstream Brand Or An Upstart?

A $45,000 electric SUV using facial recognition to unlock doors, Amazon’s Alexa to entertain and a 49-inch screen across the dashboard may be a harbinger of driving’s future. It also shows what China’s doing to grab that business now as the government pushes gas guzzlers off its roads.

Byton, a Nanjing-based company started by former BMW AG executives, on Sunday became the first Chinese automaker to hold a large-scale unveiling at CES in Las Vegas. XPeng Motors, backed by funding from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., is set to unveil a production model on Tuesday. That’s on the heels of launches by new entrants such as NIO, backed by Asia’s biggest technology company, Tencent Holdings Ltd.; and WM Motor Technology Co.

MDarringer - 1/8/2018 9:02:19 PM

+1 Boost

People with loads of cash will go for upstarts because they have other cars they can drive when the upstart breaks down.

edwardfrancis - 1/13/2018 12:51:54 AM

+1 Boost

Pretty sure the Chinese will dominate the global automotive market as the changeover to electrics gets underway. Detroit, in particular, will leave the door wide open to a Chinese entry. Like a GEICO commercial: "It is what they do."

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