Modified BMW 3 Series models unveiled in Shanghai

Shanghai, June 4 (Gasgoo.com) BMW AG, the world's biggest luxury car producer, has recently unveiled two modified vehicle models of its 3 Series in Shanghai to help boost its sales growth in the Chinese auto market, Shanghai Daily reported.

Of the two modified BMW 3 series models, the first of their kind, one is laced with Swarovski crystals, and the other one has luxury sport features. They hit the showroom at the Shanghai Baozen Zhonghuan Automobile Sales and Service Co, an authorized BMW dealer in Shanghai.

BMW Brilliance, the German carmaker's Chinese joint venture with local partner Brilliance China, will start producing the elongated version of BMW 3 Series and the BMW X1 model in the venture's second plant in northeast China's Shenyang city in 2012.

The second plant, whose construction was started earlier this week and will be completed by 2012, will help the joint venture more than double its annual production to 100,000 vehicles and the company's capacity may eventually be tripled.

In the first four months this year, BMW's group sales in China totaled 46,619 cars, up from 22,369 of a year earlier. The flagship 7-Series sedan, the X5 and X6 SUVs saw strong market demand in China.

China is overtaking the UK as BMW's third largest market (after Germany and the U.S.). BMW plans to sell over 100,000 cars in China this year, up from 90,536 in 2009.