The Neue Klasse-based (NA5) BMW iX3 will gain a long wheelbase version that is set to make its debut at this year’s Auto Beijing near the end of April. Officially called the iX3 Long Wheelbase as stated in the German automaker’s release, the stretched version of the electric SUV is said to be developed specifically for China and is scheduled to go on sale there in the second half of 2026. While BMW says the iX3 Long Wheelbase embodies its ‘In China, for China and with China’ guiding principle, the model will not be limited to that market. Following its world premiere, the SUV is planned to be made available in selected markets, namely Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and India. Malaysia has gotten its fair share of long-wheelbase BMWs that many assumed were “China-only,” including the G28 3 Series that is currently available in a facelifted 330Li M Sport guise. More recently, we welcomed the iX1 L that comes fully imported (CBU) from China. In the case of the iX3 Long Wheelbase, that distance between the wheels has been extended by 108 mm to 3,005 mm. This undoubtedly results in a longer overall length, with the benefits being better rear-seat comfort and overall spaciousness, which are things customers in the premium segment appreciate in China. As with the standard-wheelbase iX3, the long-wheelbase version is built on an 800-volt architecture and incorporates BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive technology. The company is claiming a CLTC-rated range of over 900 km and that a 10-80% state of charge will take around 21 minutes. The latter is due to support for 400-kW DC fast charging, with 400 km added in approximately ten minutes. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality will also be part of the iX3 Long Wheelbase’s feature set along with many other technologies found in the regular iX3 such as the Heart of Joy, Dynamic Performance Control, Panoramic iDrive (combines Panoramic Vision, a 3D head-up display and central display) and Operating System X. For the Chinese market, BMW is integration Huawei technologies, including Digital Key, HiCar, and the My BMW App based on HarmonyOS NEXT. A China-specific ADAS software stack developed in collaboration with Momenta will also be implemented in the iX3 Long Wheelbase sold there. Compare prices between different insurer providers to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services. Many payment method supported and you can pay with instalment using Atome, Grab PayLater or Shopee SPayLater.