Faraday unveils concept electric race car; can it catch Tesla?

The Faraday Future FFZERO1 electric concept car is shown after an unveiling at a news conference in Las Vegas, Nevada January 4, 2016. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

LAS VEGAS: Startup electric car venture Faraday Future previewed a technology-heavy concept race car it hopes to develop into a range of connected vehicles that can challenge luxury rivals like Tesla and Audi in the growing global market for non-gasoline cars. 

The California-based company, which has backing from Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, has remained tight-lipped about its plans since its launch 18 months ago. Days ahead of this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it still had revealed no details about its debut vehicle, expected for 2017.