Meet Faraday Future, Tesla's Newest Rival from China

Faraday Future is a secretive EV (electric vehicle) startup that's been building the suspense for its concept car ahead of its big reveal at the Consumer Electronics Show next week.

Since its entry into the EV market, Faraday has been branded as Tesla Motors Inc.'s (Nasdaq: TSLA) biggest rival. This label derives solely from its "electric car" status.

On Wednesday, the company released a teaser video for its first vehicle, which is expected to be chock full of high-tech features. The video doesn't show much, just the shadow of an automobile driving down an otherwise empty highway.

Still, it's more than anyone has seen of the car thus far.

While specificities about its vehicles remain vague, Nick Sampson, a former Tesla director who now works for Faraday, gave Bloomberg insight on what the company intends to achieve in the market. "We will launch a single model [electric car] and follow with a range of vehicles in a faster way than others have achieved," Sampson said on Nov. 5. "We're looking at seven different vehicles."

Various tech-centric websites have tried to delve deeper to unveil details about Faraday's upcoming concept car and its parent company.

Here's what we know about the China-based company that's been keeping itself in "stealth mode" until CES next week…

Faraday Future Set Up in America to Take Down Tesla

• Faraday Future is owned by Chinese media firm LeTV and funded by Chinese tech entrepreneur Jia Yueting. Yueting is chairman and CEO of Leshi Television, a popular Chinese online video site.
• The company had been exploring sites in California, Georgia, and Louisiana to build its first plant. However, on Nov. 22, authorities in Nevada said they'd approved a $335 million incentive package to get Faraday Future to open a billion-dollar factory outside of Las Vegas. The company will create 4,500 direct jobs in the area.
• The company aims to have its first production vehicle on the road in just a few years…

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