BMW i3 Long Wheelbase 2026: price, range and specs for China

© A. Krivonosov / SPEEDME

SPEEDME.RU photographed the new long-wheelbase BMW i3 at the Chengdu Motor Show 2026. At least two examples were on display — in deep blue and green — with different wheel designs and contrasting black trim.

The world premiere of the China-market BMW i3 Long Wheelbase took place in April at the Beijing auto show, so Chengdu wasn’t the car’s first appearance. But this is where BMW fully unveiled the model for the first time, including the production interior and its Chinese digital ecosystem.

The new “3 Series” no longer depends on a gasoline platform

The new i3 shares nothing with the compact electric BMW i3 of the previous generation, nor with the current China-market sedan built on the stretched BMW 3 Series. The car is built on the dedicated Neue Klasse electric architecture and effectively opens a new generation of the 3 Series family.

The China-market version gets a wheelbase of more than three meters. Up front, compact “nostrils” are merged with illuminated contours and headlight units that BMW calls “digital angel wings.” The driver-assistance cameras and radars are hidden inside the lighting units. On the sides, semi-flush door handles with both electric and mechanical release are used, and the rear pillars carry illuminated M badges.

SPEEDME’s photos show the production sedan keeps BMW’s classic proportions: a short front overhang, long hood, cabin set back toward the rear, and flared wheel arches. The front end, however, is noticeably cleaner, and the kidney grille no longer dominates the car’s design.

Panoramic screen and Chinese artificial intelligence

Inside is BMW’s Panoramic iDrive system. It includes a 17.9-inch central display, a projection strip along the bottom of the windshield, a separate 3D head-up projector and a new steering wheel. For the Chinese market, the system runs on a localized version of BMW Operating System X.

The digital platform integrates Amap navigation, Huawei HiCar and HarmonyOS NEXT services, plus a voice assistant built on Alibaba and DeepSeek technology. BMW developed the driver-assistance suite together with Momenta, claiming Level 2 capability covering city routes, highways and parking.

Over 1,000 km on a single charge

The China-market BMW i3 uses the sixth generation of BMW’s eDrive electric powertrain, cylindrical battery cells and an 800-volt architecture. The claimed range of the long-wheelbase version exceeds 1,000 km on the CLTC cycle. Peak charging power reaches 400 kW, and 10 minutes at a suitable station is said to add around 400 km of range.

BMW hasn’t yet fully disclosed the power output and lineup for the China-market i3. For comparison, the European BMW i3 50 xDrive makes 469 hp, comes with all-wheel drive and offers up to 912 km of WLTP range.

The base European version is priced at €65,900, while the First Edition costs €75,340 — roughly $75,500 and $86,400 at current exchange rates.

Pricing for the long-wheelbase BMW i3 in China hasn’t been announced yet. According to Chinese automotive media, local production of the model is planned to begin in early 2027. Once it reaches the Chinese domestic market, the sedan could also become available through parallel-import channels elsewhere, though estimating its eventual price outside China is premature before an official Chinese price list is published.