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Renault-Backed Beyonca EV Is Going After Audi and BMW in China, Has a Trick up Its Sleeve

Starting next year, the premium car segment in China will have a new competitor joining the fight for market share, as Renault-backed Beyonca plans to unveil its first production model in the first quarter.
Beyonca GT Opus 1 6 photos
Photo: South China Morning Post
AUDI A8LBeyonca founder and chairman, Soh WeimingBMW 7 SeriesBMW 7 SeriesMercedes-Benz S-Class
Beyonca (standing for “beyond the car”) was founded in 2021 by a group of former Volkswagen executives and is currently led by Soh Weiming, who is also the CEO of Renault China.

Its new electric vehicle, the GT Opus 1, will include some health features that the company’s chairman is betting on. Thanks to some AI magic, cameras, and sensors, the in-car health monitoring system will keep an eye on the driver’s condition, slowing down or even stopping the vehicle if the driver feels unwell or is simply tired.

Beyonca is planning a global launch for the first quarter of 2023, with the first car rolling off the production line sometime in 2024. The company is set to compete against the likes of the Audi A8L, the BMW 7 Series, and the Mercedes S-Class. Add to that Tesla’s price cuts in China and the ongoing chip shortage, and some would already lose hope. But not Soh Weiming.

"With the medicals and all those things we are to deploy, we'd have a chance," he said, as noted by Reuters.

Besides the Beijing headquarters, the company also has a design center in Munich and an artificial intelligence development hub in Singapore. Initially, the brand will start production in China, but it plans to build an overseas plant within five years and serve other markets, such as the Middle East and Europe.

Moreover, the company is expecting to have three to five models available by "a few years after 2025.” The brand is aiming to sell around 100,000 EVs annually within the super-premium segment, according to the chairman.

There are no pricing details whatsoever for the GT Opus 1 as of yet. However, you can get an overall idea about the new EV by checking out the video below.

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