Long-wheelbase BMW 3-Series to be made in China

Shanghai, June 12 (Gasgoo.com) German luxury car maker BMW and its Chinese venture partner Brilliance Auto have started construction of a new plant, which will begin to produce a long wheelbase version of the BMW 3-series sedan in 2012, media reported.

The stretched BMW 3-Series, which is set to rival the very popular Audi A4L, will be built at BMW Brilliance's second factory in the Shenyang economic zone in northeastern China, where the joint venture is based. Its existing plant there will also be expanded at the same time.

Brilliance Chairman Qi Yumin recently said the new factory under construction will start operation in 2012, with an annual capacity of 100,000 vehicles. In addition to the long-wheelbase BMW 3-Series, the new plant will also produce the BMW X1.

The second factory will raise BMW's China production capacity up to 300,000 cars, with as much as 60% of the parts locally sourced. There are also reports that BMW Brilliance will open a Mini factory in China.

BMW plans to sell over 100,000 cars in China this year, up from 90,536 in 2009. In the first five months of this year, BMW's China sales came to a total of 60,617 cars, up from 29,121 of a year earlier.

China is overtaking the UK as BMW's third biggest market (after Germany and the U.S.). The locally made 7-Series sedan, the X5 and X6 SUVs have strong market demand in the Chinese market.