BMW working on a long wheelbase version of the 3 Series for China

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China is a very big market and there is no doubt about that but some parts of the Chinese market can be profitable with what vehicles would otherwise be niche products.

E92 BMW 3 Series

This is definitely the case for that region of China where stretched long-wheelbase vehicles are popular, so aiming for the popularity crown obtained by the Audi A4L, the Bavarians over at BMW have got a new version of the 3 Series under works.

The “new” car will be built at a new factory in the economic region of Shengyang which is destined to open its gates somewhere in 2012. That new production facility will see to the birth of this long wheelbase version of the BMW 3 Series but to other, more traditional, BMW products such as the BMW X1. The factory will have a capacity to produce somewhere in the region of 100,000 units a year.

The lengthened version of the BMW 3 Series and this plant will not be built by BMW themselves but by their local partners, Brilliance. With the help of Brilliance the Germans hope that their alliance will account for 300.000 units sold yearly in China which is a raise of 60 percent when compared to their present situation.