New BMW X3 likely to be produced in China

Shanghai December 22 (Gasgoo.com) BMW AG has brought a variety of new models to this year’s Guangzhou auto show, and is likely to produce the second geneartion BMW X3, a high performance sport activity vehicle (SAV), in China, auto.163.com reported Wednesday.

The new BMW X3 has been thoroughly re-engineered inside and out and sits more comfortably between the smaller X1 and larger X5. It is the first time the car has been displayed in Asia. The exterior of it has a wonderful finish with front and rear bumpers, side skirts, roof spoiler, side window with polished edges, roof rack, chrome exhaust pipes, 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels and so on.

Its wheelbase has also grown by 15mm to 2810mm, providing the basis for a 70-litre increase in luggage capacity to 550 litres, sources said.

BMW will put two versions of the new X3 in front of consumers. The first will feature a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-6 gasoline engine, which deliveres maximum horsepower of 258 hp and peak torque of 310 Nm. The other will be equipped with a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-6 diesel enginem, which develops 258 hp and 560 Nm.

It takes the gasoline version 6.9 seconds to trvavel from zero to 100 km/h. With a top speed of 230 km/h, the model consumes only 9 liters of gasoline running 100km and emits 210 kg of CO2 per kilometer. While the european version, namely, the X3 xDrive30d, can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in only 6.2 seconds and has a top speed of 230 km/h. Moreover, it emits merely 159 kg of CO2 per kilometer. The two versions will be initially available in Euope next spring.