Photo: carnewschina.com
BMW’s commitment to China was recently renewed when the company signed a new deal with their local partners, Brilliance, for another 10 years. The move came as surprising to some but, when put in context, it makes a lot of sense.
Over the last few years there have been some quarrels between the two companies because of design trademark infringements caused by the Asians. The Germans showed, publicly, that they are not satisfied with the status quo, causing some to question their commitment with Brilliance. After all, their Chinese partner was one of the perpetrators.
However, money comes above anything else and China is currently the biggest market for Bavarian machines in the world, overtaking the USA for quite a while now. Therefore, the Munich-based company ceased to criticize such obvious rip-offs. They even went further are are providing the local company with parts for their own cars.
Case and point: Zinoro, an all-electric brand owned by Brilliance that uses BMW technology. The Zinoro 1E is actually a slightly changed X1 with an all-electric powertrain. Not only that but it actually uses the same motor as the i3, making 170 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque.
Of course, BMW stopped there, the rest of the parts being made by Brilliance but it’s still quite a big favor if you think about it. The batteries are made by a Chinese company called Ningde Times New Energy Technology and use iron phosphate lithium-ion tech.
The 2 ton car will reach a top speed of 130 km/h (80 mph) and has a range of about 160 km (100 miles) number that are not bad in the slightest way.
Unfortunately, you cannot buy this car in China. The only two available options are renting it on a daily basis (which costs around $64 a day) and leasing it for $1,190 a month. Even so, getting one could be quite tricky as the company only has one dealership for Zinoro cars, located in central Beijing.
However, money comes above anything else and China is currently the biggest market for Bavarian machines in the world, overtaking the USA for quite a while now. Therefore, the Munich-based company ceased to criticize such obvious rip-offs. They even went further are are providing the local company with parts for their own cars.
Case and point: Zinoro, an all-electric brand owned by Brilliance that uses BMW technology. The Zinoro 1E is actually a slightly changed X1 with an all-electric powertrain. Not only that but it actually uses the same motor as the i3, making 170 HP and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque.
Of course, BMW stopped there, the rest of the parts being made by Brilliance but it’s still quite a big favor if you think about it. The batteries are made by a Chinese company called Ningde Times New Energy Technology and use iron phosphate lithium-ion tech.
The 2 ton car will reach a top speed of 130 km/h (80 mph) and has a range of about 160 km (100 miles) number that are not bad in the slightest way.
Unfortunately, you cannot buy this car in China. The only two available options are renting it on a daily basis (which costs around $64 a day) and leasing it for $1,190 a month. Even so, getting one could be quite tricky as the company only has one dealership for Zinoro cars, located in central Beijing.
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