BMW shows a camouflaged version of the long-wheelbase iX3 destined for the Chinese market

The Bavarian manufacturer plans to make the first deliveries in Europe of its new electric SUV, the iX3, this very spring. This version, however, is not the one that will also arrive in China. Adapting to customer tastes in that market, BMW is developing a long-wheelbase version, which offers more interior space, especially for passengers in the rear seats.

The company plans to officially unveil this version of the iX3, with a greater wheelbase, at the Beijing Auto Show next April, with the aim of making the first deliveries before the end of the year.

The photographs published by the Bavarian manufacturer of this long-wheelbase version of the iX3 give us a very good idea of what its styling will look like. The wheelbase of this model destined for the Chinese market grows by 10.8 centimetres compared with the standard model. As the images show, its greater length affects the vehicle’s proportions, even being somewhat confused with the BMW iX when seen in profile.

Comfort is the big beneficiary

As we have already mentioned, all the additional space in this long-wheelbase version has been devoted to improving habitability in the rear seats, which were already generous in the conventional version, but now promise a higher level of comfort, especially in legroom.

BMW has developed a specific tuning of the chassis and suspension for this long-wheelbase iX3, to adapt to the preferences of Chinese buyers, who tend to value a greater focus on comfort over sportier driving. The result is a better balance between smoothness and stability on different road types and in different situations.

It is worth noting, moreover, that this model will not arrive exclusively in the Chinese market. The Bavarian manufacturer has already confirmed its sale in other Asian markets such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and India. It is very unlikely, however, that this model will end up arriving in Europe or the United States, where extended-wheelbase versions of existing models are rarely imported.

Test production of the long-wheelbase iX3 began last December at the BMW Brilliance joint plant in Shenyang, and will ramp up throughout 2026. Although the planned annual production volume for this version has not been disclosed, the Hungarian factory where the standard iX3 is assembled plans to reach 150 thousand units per year from 2027.

CLTC range of this long-wheelbase version

Technically, the specification sheet of this long-wheelbase version is identical to the standard one. BMW has not yet revealed the exact capacity of the battery pack, but it is expected to offer more than 900 km of range under the always optimistic Chinese CLTC homologation cycle, compared with the 805 km WLTP range of the conventional iX3 here in Europe.

In China, the vehicle’s operating system will also be different. Seventy percent of it will be developed locally and integrated with Alibaba and DeepSeek language models to enhance the voice assistant with artificial intelligence. The driver-assistance systems have also been adjusted to local traffic conditions and usage habits.

Technical specifications of this car

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