China goes sharing economy crazy, as luxury lovers rent anything from BMWs to treadmills

Backed by a torrent of venture capital, China has gone sharing mad with everything from treadmills to karaoke booths and napping capsules all up for short-term rent – and at the click of a smartphone.

With the boom spawning some novel ideas but also warnings of a sharing “bubble” in the world’s second-largest economy, here’s a number of the services that have come (and gone) in China in the last 18 months.

Beaming in blue

A company in the northeastern city of Shenyang is rolling out a first batch of royal blue BMWs for sharing. Like the bikes, users scan a QR code with their mobile phones – and bingo! A snazzy BMW 1 Series is yours for the rental fee of 1.5 yuan (HK$1.80) per kilometre, plus the 999 yuan deposit.

Two-wheel menace?

Brightly coloured bicycles kicked off the sharing craze last year and have since threatened to take over pavements and streets. That sparked a backlash and Beijing and Shanghai are among the cities that moved to lay down regulations. At least two Chinese bike-sharing services have gone bust and it is not uncommon to see officials carting bikes off to a fate unknown.

Treadmill in a box

Forget the sweaty gym and look no further than a grandly named “shared sports warehouse” – actually a treadmill inside a black-and-yellow glass-encased box. The company behind the scheme, which just launched, says there are 10 of the pods in Beijing.Thankfully, they come complete with air conditioning, plus a television to break the monotony.

Rude awakening