Stretching
The Chinese consumer likes a size more, so various car manufacturers in China supply cars that you can also buy here in slightly longer versions. This time it is the brand new BMW 5 series and the i5 electric equivalent that are being stretched.
Like the previous model, the new BMW 5 Series is also being marketed in an extended form in China. Not only the regular 5 series, but also the electric BMW i5 is being stretched for the Chinese market. BMW does not yet say how much longer the 5-series and i5 are in China. The previous extended 5 Series was more than 13 centimeters longer than the non-stretched variant and also received a 13 centimeter longer wheelbase. The extra centimeters fully benefit the rear seat passengers.
From the outside you can recognize the Chinese 5-series by the longer rear doors, but also by the illuminated ‘5’ in the C-pillars. The longer 5-series is available with, among other things, the Theater Screen – a 31.3-inch large display in the back – that you may know from the 7-series.
The BMW 5 series is certainly not a rare appearance in China. Between 2020 and 2022, the brand sold more than half a million copies. These new extended versions of the BMW 5 series and i5 will soon be built purely for the Chinese market by the joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive in Shenyang.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl