Just over a month after BMW revealed the new G50 3 Series, the long-wheelbase version has already made an appearance in a filing with China’s ministry of industry and information technology (MIIT). The images published by Autohome give us a good look at the lengthened sports sedan, which will be available in two variants not offered in Europe.
First, the dimensions – the G58 LWB measures 4,865 mm long, 1,852 mm wide and 1,461 mm tall, making it 100 mm longer and six millimetres taller than the regular G50. The wheelbase, meanwhile, is 110 mm longer at 2,970 mm.
The divisive Neue Klasse styling, adapted for the combustion-engined Cluster Architecture II (CLAR II), wears the stretched dimensions well – the car doesn’t look appreciably longer than the SWB car, which is not always the case for BMW’s LWB models. The black roof suggests that a panoramic glass roof comes as standard, just like on the G50.
There are a couple of unique touches, however, most notable being the manual pull-up door handles that replace the flush pop-out ones from the G50 SWB. This is in response to China’s upcoming ban on electronic door releases, which comes into effect next year.
Elsewhere, the small C-pillar triangle that forms the trademark Hofmeister kink gains an M badge to signify that this car sports the M Sport treatment, similar to the i3 L. The rear bumper also houses twin trapezoidal tailpipes, bucking BMW’s move to conceal exhaust exits on non-M cars in other markets.
No images of the interior have been released just yet, but expect the 3 Series LWB to retain the standard car’s minimalist interior, replete with a 17.9-inch parallelogram infotainment touchscreen and a full-width Panoramic Vision projected display. These will likely be paired with extended two-tone colour schemes and redesigned seats for improved comfort, as were the case for the iX3, i3 and X5 LWB models.
Built at Brilliance’s Shenyang plant, the 3 Series LWB will be powered by the ubiquitous 2.0 litre B48 turbo four-cylinder engine. The base model is badged the 325L, despite making the same 211 PS as the 320 in other markets, marking the return of the “25” suffix to the 3 Series. Meanwhile, the 330L produces the same 258 PS as the North American 330.
Strangely, the MIIT listing indicates a second set of outputs of 234 PS for the 325L and 287 PS for the 330L, representing increases of 23 PS and 29 PS respectively. This presumably denotes the inclusion of a 48-volt mild hybrid system, likely more powerful than the 11 PS/25 Nm 48-volt belt-driven starter-generator (BSG) in the G50 SWB.
While LWB models tend to be exclusive to China, BMW Group Malaysia had previously brought in the 330Li as a CKD locally-assembled model, and we assume that will be the case for the next generation. In the meantime, you can check out the G50 320 that will likely be the SWB volume seller in Malaysia, ahead of its arrival next year.
