Chinese customers’ love for long-wheelbase cars extends (pun intended) to the BMW X5.
In what many of us in the West see as a strange expression of luxury, the Chinese market has a particular affinity for taking luxury and executive cars that would not normally be seen as limousines and stretching them for a longer wheelbase.
Whether this is simply for added luxury and comfort, or to hire a chauffeur and be driven in the ultimate luxury of convenience, the Chinese market has an unprecedented demand for longer cars, with models like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4, and even the Mercedes-Benz A-Class getting the long-wheelbase treatment and sumptuous rear seating, making them into little limousines.
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The newest car to become a part of this strange long-wheelbase phenomenon is the BMW X5. The lengthened X5 retains all of the qualities that make it a global hit, like its xDrive all-wheel-drive system, smart luxury, and sleek looks.
However, for the Chinese market, length isn’t the only bonus that the long-wheelbase X5 receives. The second-row seats also get four degrees of extra reclining, and the rear seats also receive ambient lighting, extra controls, and a smartphone tray for the bonafide Chinese market rear seat experience.
BMW cites its commitment to the Chinese market as the reason for making the long-wheelbase X5 and has gone as far as building this new X5 at a plant in Shenyang, China, making it the first executive-segment BMW X model to be made in China. The long-wheelbase BMW X5 will be available in China starting in April, and it’s a luxury SUV, “made in China, for China.”
Source: BMW