[blackwasp]

BMW has unveiled a Long Wheelbase version of the 3 Series sedan at the Shanghai Motor Show. The car will be exclusive to the Chinese market, where consumers prefer more rear seat legroom. It will be manufactured by BMW Brilliance Automotive at its Tiexi plant in Shenyang, in north-eastern China.

The 3 Series Long Wheelbase appears very similar to the regular car, but its wheelbase has been stretched by 11 cm and its rear doors have been lengthened as well. BMW claims that the car's legroom has gone up by 43 mm.

On the inside, the 3 Series Long Wheelbase gets reworked rear seats, new centre armrest and ambient light stripes on the seatbacks of the front seats. China-specific features like extra soft headrests are also being offered in the car.

Offered in the 325 Li variant, the car is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine developing 181 BHP and 300 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.











Source: BMW BLOG

Link to the Team-BHP News

[AbhiJ]

BMW should definitely launch this in India.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

BMW should definitely launch this in India.

Should happen as there won’t be any 3 GT for MY-2019

https://www.bmwblog.com/2018/10/04/b...-discontinued/

[jayguar]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Should happen as there won’t be any 3 GT for MY-2019
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But the source link in OP says China only. It also says it isn't new or exclusive to the 3 Series, as both Audi and Mercedes-Benz have extended wheelbase in A4 and C class meant only for China.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

BMW should definitely launch this in India.

Despite feeling bad for those people who buy a 3 series to be chauffeured around in, I hope they do not go this way. Not only will it cannibalize the 5 series sales, but there go all the hopes of a fun-to-drive 3 series.

There are work-arounds to these issues, but BMW India's strategy is a little confused at the moment.

[lemedico]

a wheelbase increase of 11 cm = just 4.3 cm in improved legroom? I would imagine it would be better than that!

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by jayguar

But the source link in OP says China only. It also says it isn't new or exclusive to the 3 Series, as both Audi and Mercedes-Benz have extended wheelbase in A4 and C class meant only for China.

Yes, because currently, they don’t have models to drive on the other side. Mercedes was first to come out with L version of E class for us, and since BMW had 6GT, they never bothered about the longer 5. This will change in future as BMW won’t have 3 GT. They can create an India specific model, and I believe it can be a success. I don’t think they will stop regular 3.

[Starfire]

These are the kind of posts that make me feel that the big germans don't really care about our market. Have believed this right from the time China got the DSG recall but India didn't. Ok its fine if you don't bring the long wheel base to India, but atleast give us the extra soft headrest, reworked rear seats, revised arm rest and extra rear ambient lighting. If not all of it, maybe some of it?

Agreed that we enthusiasts love BMW's for being driver's cars, but we pay a bomb for it and do have our families that sit in the back. That being set aside, we are a country where the mass market is known to have people who even use hatchbacks as chauffeur driven cars. After all who doesn't want extra space at the rear? And knowing that the 3GT was taken well by the market, why not actually consider bringing this here?

PS: Don't really think that the additional 11cm will spoil its dynamics that much IMO cause now it will be almost as that of the 5 series, and the 5 is a pretty sweet driving car. Correct me if I am wrong. Beside anyone who ever took it around the track would agree that it makes little difference.

[avira_tk]

This line of thinking about why German brands don't care about India and its growing market really needs to stop. Quality matters, not quantity, the German trio had sales topping 600k each annually in 2018 in China. Each brand is 15 times larger by sales in China than the Indian luxury market as a whole.

They are not able to generate volumes and our purchasing power is nothing compared to the Chinese. The reason for the dsg recall in China is because Skoda does 400k a year in sales, or to put it in another way, a fortnight's sale would be more than India's annual sales. This is just Skoda, VW is much larger and of course, they'll respond to the Chinese customer.

The only possible Chinese version I see coming to India is the A6 long wheel base. The size of the Chinese market ensures that they get the long wheel base of nearly everything. We'll remain a rounding error for the foreseeable future, luxury cars account for 10% of the market in China and 1% here. Most likely the normal 3 series from the UK will make it here.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

BMW has unveiled a Long Wheelbase version of the 3 Series sedan at the Shanghai Motor Show. The car will be exclusive to the Chinese market, where consumers prefer more rear seat legroom.

Sometimes I wonder who does this research and on what parameters !
In general, and no offense to any race/ethnicity/country, the general stature of Chinese people are short.
Why would BMW be so concerned about rear leg room of Chinese consumers that it is forced to launch an EWB of the 3 series which will just cannibalize its 5 series which has normally longer WB than 3 ?
I believe a sensible research should put BMW EWB cars in Europe / US markets.
There is definitely something more than what meets the eye !

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by Starfire

These are the kind of posts that make me feel that the big germans don't really care about our market.

I don't think this has anything to do with the Indian market as such, more to do with the costs of having a separate setup for the Right side.

Don't really think that the additional 11cm will spoil its dynamics that much IMO cause now it will be almost as that of the 5 series, and the 5 is a pretty sweet driving car.

Correct, I won't be surprised if they have an almost similar platform for 5 & LWB 3 series.

Originally Posted by avira_tk

The only possible Chinese version I see coming to India is the A6 long wheel base.

Given the state of the VW group, I don't think they will get a budget to convert A6 for our market.

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Sometimes I wonder who does this research and on what parameters ! the general stature of Chinese people are short.
Why would BMW be so concerned about rear leg room of Chinese consumers that
I believe a sensible research should put BMW EWB cars in Europe / US markets.

I think it's more to do with driving preferences, most of the buyers in Europe/ US will be driving cars on their own and rear seats are mostly for kids. It's only in few markets like India, China where we can afford to have chauffeurs. Since China gets more numbers, they get preference.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Sometimes I wonder who does this research and on what parameters !
In general, and no offense to any race/ethnicity/country, the general stature of Chinese people are short.
Why would BMW be so concerned about rear leg room of Chinese consumers that it is forced to launch an EWB of the 3 series which will just cannibalize its 5 series which has normally longer WB than 3 ?
I believe a sensible research should put BMW EWB cars in Europe / US markets.
There is definitely something more than what meets the eye !

You do realize that this is not something new and is a proven and guaranteed formula not a "research". Mercedes, BMW and Audi have been selling extended versions of the 3, 5, C, E, A4, A6 in China for years now. Simple reason is that the buyers demanded it. They are mostly chauffeur driven and wanted the stretched versions over the regular versions.

China volumes are far more than any other country hence all 3 manufacturers obliged and got a stretched version.

It's only Mercedes who were forward thinking and got the new gen E such that both LHD and RHD could be made with extended wheelbase.

And Europe market loathes the extended versions cause they are not driver oriented cars. For a German a 3 series signifies nimble, precise handling. A LWB would be sacrilege for a European. Plus they drive their cars and not chauffeur driven.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Sometimes I wonder who does this research and on what parameters !
In general, and no offense to any race/ethnicity/country, the general stature of Chinese people are short.
Why would BMW be so concerned about rear leg room of Chinese consumers that it is forced to launch an EWB of the 3 series which will just cannibalize its 5 series which has normally longer WB than 3 ?
I believe a sensible research should put BMW EWB cars in Europe / US markets.
There is definitely something more than what meets the eye !

The research has nothing to do with height, the Chinese who own these cars usually have their parents in the back and in their culture its a mark of respect to give more space. Combine that with the size of the market, they get their way, sportiness doesn't sell in their market, think of it, BMWs wouldn't sell at all if they were not diluted for the local market.

[voldemort]

I think the LWB 3-series might be a success in India if priced well. And it might prompt Mercedes to launch LWB C-Class here, all of which is good for us consumers.

Aren't those cars excellent choices for those wanting to upgrade from cars like the Octavia/Jetta? The regular 3 series ― and for that matter the A4 and C as well ― have cramped rear seats.

We bought the E-Class over the C solely because the E has a better backseat.

[Starfire]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

Quality matters, not quantity, the German trio had sales topping 600k each annually in 2018 in China. Each brand is 15 times larger by sales in China than the Indian luxury market as a whole.

I'm sorry but you contradict yourself. One side you talk about quantity not mattering and the other side you quote sales figures. Strange.

That being said, just because you sell a car less in a country, doesn't make you immune to the fact that you don't take care of your customers, be it 15k or 600k of them. They don't give us cars for free you know. Toyota sells much more in North America/China too, yet they don't cut corners in India and still continue to sell the Land Cruiser which practically no one buys.

About the DSG thing, you probably would not realise the pain one feels when he/she has to shell out lakhs to repair/replace the DSG unless you step in their shoes yourself, especially when its the manufacturers fault for doing a shoddy job with a product's R&D. They are not doing us any favour by selling their cars to us so yes they are surely giving us a step motherly treament and the average Indian being frustrated about it is justified. In the end its alright, I have my opinion and you have yours.