BMW tests waters of electric market

BMW Brilliance's Zinoro 1E [Photo/cnautonews.com]

BMW Brilliance released its independent brand, the Zinoro, in April. The brand name in Chinese is Zhinuo, which means commitment or promise.

Its first car, the pure-electric 1E was released in November and will hit the market in the first quarter of this year.

According to BMW, the car is "specially made in China and for China" because the country is headed toward green autos, though the switch to new technology takes time.

The models will be built in Shenyang, Liaoning province, where the BMW Brilliance joint venture now produces the BMW 3 Series and X1.

Zinoro will have a separate distribution channel, and the batteries will be sourced from China.

Analysts said the Zinoro is also likely to be sold to markets outside China.

BMW has been dedicated to bringing alternative-energy vehicles to China. This year, it will also introduce the i3 - an all-electric car under its wholly owned i sub-brand - to China through imports.