The Zinoro 1E is the electric BMW you never knew existed, but will soon be available to the public. In China.

That’s right, the i3 is not the only battery-powered vehicle the Bavarian company has had a hand in building recently. Its Chinese joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) revealed the compact SUV, around which it intends to build a new brand, at the recent Guangzhou International Auto Show.

Essentially an electrified BMW X1, the Zinoro (written ?? in Chinese and pronounced Zhi Nuo) offering is going into limited production and will only be available to to private and institutional customers through a leasing arrangement from two initial stores in Shanghai and Beijing.

The idea is to use this first product as a way to introduce the premium EV concept to the market, build the brand and drive future demand.

The lithium phosphate batteries in the 1E are claimed to be good for 150 kilometers (93 miles) and are distributed throughout the chassis in three climate-controlled units, helping the vehicle achieve a 50:50 weight distribution. Plugged into a 16-amp circuit (voltage in China is generally 220), it charges from empty to full in 7.5 hours.