BMW Built a Stretch X5 for China With More Rear Legroom and a 7 Series-Style Theater Screen

The BMW X5 for China has a longer wheelbase than the X7.

It borrows the massive rear screen from the 7 Series.

The iX5 goes 621 miles on a single charge in the CLTC cycle.

Just like all legacy automakers, the BMW Group is having a hard time in China. How hard? Sales peaked in 2021 at 847,900 cars before falling to 626,000 units last year, with both figures including the MINI brand. Through June this year, demand plunged another 20.4 percent compared to the first half of last year. Nevertheless, the German automotive juggernaut isn’t throwing in the towel.

Following the recent unveiling of the stretched iX3 crossover and the i3 sedan, it’s now the X5 to get the long-wheelbase treatment. Available with both combustion engines and as the fully electric iX5, the posh SUV gets larger rear doors after the distance between the axles was extended by 5.1 inches (130 mm). That gives it a gargantuan wheelbase of 124.6 inches (3,165 mm), the longest of any BMW SUV ever. Yes, it even surpasses the three-row X7.