Chinese electronics brand LeEco enters the US for first time with dramatic event

The Chinese business bought US television maker Vizio for US$2 billion in August. South China Morning Post reports that a new 85-inch uMax85 smart TV will be on sale via the LeMall website for US$4,999, while it will also launch its Super4 X Series of 4K television models, with prices starting from US$649. It also plans to sell its smartphone models, which run on Android.

The business made the announcement at an event in San Francisco this week, which journalists attending described as “lavish” and “wild”, even when compared to the usual large-scale tech launches by Silicon Valley businesses.

At the event LeEco, which first started life as a digital content business ten years ago, used the event to also show off other tech projects it was working on, outside those it planned to make available in the US in the short term. It showed off its concept for the autonomous vehicle, though the company gave no details as to when the technology would be ready beyond a concept stage. The company has also developed a smart bike (pictured above).

The event represents the first in what is a serious investment from LeEco into the US. The company already has 500 employees based in the Bay Area and in June it bought around 49 acres of land in Santa Clara, California from Yahoo to build a campus. The US website has now been updated to introduce consumers to the brand and its products, linking to the event.