New brand will debut an EV crossover later this year, with Chinese sales to begin in 2014
BMW will launch a new 'Zinoro' brand later this year as part of its partnership with Chinese firm Brilliance. The Zinoro cars will all be EVs and initially only available in China, owing to the advanced EV infrastructure in place there.
The first Zinoro product will make its debut at the Guangzhou motor show this November and is rumoured to be a crossover based on the BMW X1. It will go on sale early in 2014.
The overall aims for the first Zinoro project are to deliver comfort and practicality, distancing them from more dynamic BMW offerings.
Moreover, all Zinoro cars will be sold through unique distribution channels, with no links to BMW. This is crucial for the German firm since it seeks to bring its i3 EV and i8 hybrid to market, with prices higher than any Zinoro product.
The Zinoro brand will compete with Denza, a tie-up between Mercedes and BYD, and Venucia, Nissan and Dongfeng's collaborative effort. They have all emerged in recent years as overseas manufacturers have sought to gain traction in the Chinese market.
BMW’s joint venture with Brilliance already produces models like the 3-series and 5-series as well as the X1 in China. Zinoro-branded cars will also be built at the BMW-Brilliance factory in Shenyang.
*Matt Bird* Reported by Autocar 7 hours ago.
BMW will launch a new 'Zinoro' brand later this year as part of its partnership with Chinese firm Brilliance. The Zinoro cars will all be EVs and initially only available in China, owing to the advanced EV infrastructure in place there.
The first Zinoro product will make its debut at the Guangzhou motor show this November and is rumoured to be a crossover based on the BMW X1. It will go on sale early in 2014.
The overall aims for the first Zinoro project are to deliver comfort and practicality, distancing them from more dynamic BMW offerings.
Moreover, all Zinoro cars will be sold through unique distribution channels, with no links to BMW. This is crucial for the German firm since it seeks to bring its i3 EV and i8 hybrid to market, with prices higher than any Zinoro product.
The Zinoro brand will compete with Denza, a tie-up between Mercedes and BYD, and Venucia, Nissan and Dongfeng's collaborative effort. They have all emerged in recent years as overseas manufacturers have sought to gain traction in the Chinese market.
BMW’s joint venture with Brilliance already produces models like the 3-series and 5-series as well as the X1 in China. Zinoro-branded cars will also be built at the BMW-Brilliance factory in Shenyang.
*Matt Bird* Reported by Autocar 7 hours ago.