These 10 Chinese start-ups are vying to be the next Tesla

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The Byton connected car at its launch at CES in Las Vegas on January 7, 2018. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:00am, 15 Feb 2018Updated: 4:28pm, 28 May 2018

China’s car market, the world’s biggest, is changing fast. With “new energy”, “connected” and “autonomous” among the industry’s buzzwords, tech-savvy start-ups have drawn inspiration from upstart Tesla Motors and are determined to be the next disruptor of traditional carmakers like Volkswagen and GM.

A flurry of electric car start-ups has sprouted up in recent years after the Chinese government started handing out special manufacturing permits to non-traditional carmakers, offering consumer subsidies and issuing special ownership quotas that make it easier to get licence plates for new-energy vehicles in bigger cities.

China is also making a big push to develop artificial intelligence (AI) as part of a broader strategy to upgrade its manufacturing capabilities. AI is seen by many as the backbone technology of the “fourth industrial revolution” and its application in the development of smart cars is now a national priority, according to the country’s latest three-year plan, unveiled in December.

This Intel-backed China start-up is building ‘brains’ for self-driving cars, powering surveillance cams

As a result, start-ups and venture capital investors in China are ploughing billions of dollars into developing the future of mobility. Here are 10 newcomers that are looking to shake up the auto industry.

Byton

Founders: Carsten Breitfeld, Daniel Kirchert

Latest funding status: series A

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