"It's brand new thing. I am always afraid of encountering some emergent problems with the electric system, and have no clear concept about the one charge mileage," said Ma. "Now I can easily try the electric car with the leasing ZINORO 1E, just paying the rental fee."

Oliver Liang, head of ZINORO brand management said "for institutions that need to provide point-to-point transportation, such as large corporations, hotels, airports and even some media groups, renting the 1E might be a good money saving and environmentally friendly option."

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The rental announcement also marked ZINORO's first anniversary.

"We kicked off the electric vehicle development project only two years ago. With effort and support coming from both BMW and Brilliance, we saw the birth of the ZINORO brand in one year and the first model 1E in another year," said Kastner.

Responding to the e-mobility trend, BMW Brilliance launched the brand in April 2013, and later the 1E at the Guangzhou auto show in November.

The first ZINORO showroom opened in February in downtown Beijing at a modern complex called Sanlitun SOHO, which was developed by Chinese real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi.

"This downtown showroom actively promotes the brand and also our customer centric, hassle free rental solution," said Kastner.

The showroom is not only a promotion center with various events to promote alternative energy and the concept of green mobility, but also a platform to provide customers with one-stop, hassle-free services.

"Our ZINORO team is also working hard to organize partners looking into the necessary infrastructure," said Kastner. "For example, we did a lot in relation to safety of the charging device and proactively approached many property management companies on installment of charging facilities, which in the end will not only benefit the ZINORO 1E but also the future models of our new energy vehicle products."

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