The secretive electric car company that is suspected to rival Tesla may finally be ready to share more details about its first car.
Faraday Future, a California-based auto startup that is known for its mysterious nature and for poaching Tesla employees, is expected to have a presence at the LA Auto Show this week.
On Thursday, the company’s head of design Richard Kim will speak on a panel entitled “Revolutionizing Vehicle Design for the Connected Era,” the company recently announced on its Facebook page.
In large part, the company has made limited public appearances. And only recently have company executives started to give public comments. So there’s a good chance whatever Kim says will shed some more light on the company’s plans, which have thus far been vague at best.
Earlier this month, Faraday Future revealed that it would be building a $1 billion factory in the US to begin manufacturing its all-electric vehicles in 2017. But the company has yet to reveal key details about its plans, including the location of the factory or who is footing the bill.
The company also hasn’t shown any renderings of its promised vehicle, although, it has posted some vague looking silhouettes to its social media accounts.
While Faraday has not confirmed any official investors, substantial evidence and multiple reports point to Jia Yueting, a Chinese media billionaire, as the primary backer.
The company has also not revealed the name of its chief executive, although Nick Sampson, the company’s senior vice president of research and development and a former Tesla director, has thus far been the face for the company.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Sampson said that one big way Faraday will be different from other automakers is that its business model will depend more on selling services.
“Our business model is not based around moving a car out of the dealer,” Sampson told Bloomberg. “We envision this like a smart phone. The revenue starts once you get the device in the owners’ hands. We’re looking at subscriptions and apps and other opportunities.”
The company is also working on developing autonomous driving in its cars and considering car-sharing services.
Tech Insider reached out to Faraday Future for more details about what Kim would be speaking about and will update if we hear back.
