Do you notice anything special about this BMW iX3 prototype? The rear doors are slightly longer, thanks to an extended wheelbase that allows for more rear seat legroom. The camouflaged test car is not the standard “NA5” model, but rather the extended “NA6” variant developed specifically for China. It is expected to launch soon in the company’s largest market and launch a major product offensive in 2026.
Chinese business magazine 36 kr reports that BMW plans to launch more than 20 new vehicles locally this year. Coupled with price cuts on 31 models, the strategy is clearly aimed at halting declining sales. In 2025, the BMW Group (including MINI) delivered 625,527 vehicles in China, a worrying decline of 12.5% compared to the previous year.
Looking back, demand has fallen by over 200,000 units compared to 2021, when sales peaked at almost 848,000 vehicles. Whether the upcoming wave of new products can reverse the decline remains to be seen. BMW hasn’t announced which models beyond the long-wheelbase iX3 will launch in the world’s largest car market this year.
Logic goes that localized versions of the next-gen 3 Series and X5 series will likely come next. Both global models are available this year: the G50 and the G65 respectively. In China, existing sedans and SUVs already have longer wheelbases than their international counterparts. BMW has also confirmed that a facelift of the 7 Series will arrive in 2026 alongside an updated i7, both of which will have the same wheelbase as the Chinese market versions.
It’s still unclear whether the recently spotted iX4 in China will get the long wheelbase treatment. A stretched i3, codenamed NA8, seems a more plausible candidate as sedans remain relevant in China, in contrast to the rest of the world’s seemingly insatiable appetite for SUVs.
Accordingly 36 krLast year, electric vehicles accounted for less than 10% of BMW’s total sales in China, with only 53,000 electric vehicles delivered. However, globally, zero-emission vehicles reached a record share of 18% in 2025, while in Europe, 25% of all BMW Group sales were of non-combustion engine models.
BMW isn’t the only long-established automaker struggling in the highly competitive Chinese market. Its two main rivals face similar headwinds: Mercedes-Benz saw sales fall 19% to 551,900 cars, while Audi fell 5% to 617,514 units, which doesn’t take into account vehicles sold under its new, confusing sub-brand AUDI, created in collaboration with SAIC.
Source: 36 crowns
