This Is The Long Wheelbase G20 BMW 3-Series You Can't Buy

The Chinese-built 3-series LWB has been revealed, but it won't be available outside the country

08 Jan 2019

This Is The Long Wheelbase G20 BMW 3-Series You Can't Buy

Like the idea of the new G20 BMW 3-series, but plan on transporting particularly tall people in the back from time to time? You might be interested in this: the long-wheelbase version. The only trouble is, you can’t buy it.

Unless that is, you live in China, where the car is also built. BMW Brilliance Automotive - a joint venture between BMW and Brilliance Auto Group - manufactures the car in Shenyang, along with other Chinese market oddities like the 1-series saloon, the long wheelbase ‘G38’ 5-series and ‘F52’ long wheelbase X1. Yep, even the pint-sized BMW crossover gets the LWB treatment.

As for stretched G20 3er, it’s 120mm longer than the standard model. Not a huge difference, so it’ll take some particularly eagle-eyed BMW fans to tell the difference on first glance.

There aren’t any images of the interior yet, so we don’t get to see all that glorious extra legroom the rear-most passengers will enjoy. The only two pictures of the exterior aren’t exactly the best quality, either.

Just to make sure the whole thing is even odder, it also gets a number not used for the G20 in the rest of the world: 325, or to give it the full title, the 325 Li. Under the bonnet, you’ll find the same guts used for the 320i: a 2.0-litre inline-four turbo which sends 179bhp to the rear wheels.

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

The 3 series isnt really an executive sedan that you would be sitting in the back of

In China there’s a huge chauffeur culture where having a driver is what people prefer. So they only care about the rear legroom and not really the rest of the car.

We are amazed by these gorgeous images. You make a nice marketing game that attracts the customers more diligently. I like this share

Is it just me or do the wheels look way to small

A slightly larger 3 series….say, they should name it a 5 series!

Or 4 series 4 door.

The Chinese have a very strict hierarchy with cars, I’ve been told. If your boss drives a 5-series, then you have to drive a 3-series. If your boss drives an S-Class, you have to drive an E-Class. As such, they want a car that’s technically lower class than their bosses car, but still offers the same luxury and space.

So a car designed for “transporting particularly tall people in the back” is only available in a country where the average height is much lower than the rest of the world. Well done BMW.

So true, I am 185cm tall and have plenty of space in every bmw :)

There’s the 5 series.What were they thinking

No one understands China and they’re weird requests,its not BMW’s fault in my opinion….First the new car smell and now this? I dont even know sighs

Quite a few commenters are a bit confused as to why they would release such a car, especially considering it only has an extra 12cms tacked on. And on top of that, only made to be sold in a single market. But the fact is that in many Asian countries, including; China, Japan and India - there is a huge use of chauffeurs. This means that consumers are more concerned with the leg room and amenities in the back seats of the car, so a 12cm extension is likely to sell well in these markets. These chauffeurs are not just for public taxis, they are commonly privately employed by individuals or families to drive them around. From driving they employers from business meetings to the supermarkets, a lot of people rely on this chauffeur business as their living.