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Byton is the new car firm looking to upset the apple cart at CES this year

The Chinese-based start-up is grabbing plenty of attention.
The Chinese-based start-up is grabbing plenty of attention. The Chinese-based start-up is grabbing plenty of attention.

CES has increasingly become a battleground not just for tech firms, but also car companies as they look to make their vehicles smarter.

Alongside the household names of Ford, Toyota and Honda this year is Byton, a new start-up looking to disrupt the market with its new electric concept car.

Known simply as the Byton Concept for now, it is a fully electric car thats most striking feature is its huge dashboard display.

The 49-inch screen fills the entire dashboard, and is joined by another tablet-sized screen mounted in the steering wheel, and more mounted on the backs of the front seats for passengers in the rear.

Naturally the screens are about providing entertainment, but can also be used for communication purposes.

Users can even sync their fitness trackers to the car, which will then give you health advice.

But the most pertinent question about the Byton is probably about its viability. Last year at CES, another start-up, Faraday Future, showed off a concept electric, autonomous car to much fanfare.

Visiting the Byton stand on the floor at CES does bring with it a sense of deja vu.

But that’s not a good thing – Faraday Future has since become a cautionary tale for automotive start-ups. Since that CES last year the company has been hit by financial issues and the departure of key executives, including some to Byton.

As a result, questions remain over whether or not Byton is the next big thing in motoring, able to challenge the likes of Tesla, or just another ambitious project that slips into CES folklore as a “nearly product”.