New BMW 5 Series and electric i5 get longer and posher…in China

The new BMW 5 series and electric BMW i5 arrive in China with a longer wheelbase and lots of toys to tempt younger buyers.

Premium car makers now make their money with SUVs, pandering to consumer demand for big, high-riding boxes and reaping the rewards.

That trend, and the forsaking of saloons and estates – with Volvo actually withdrawing saloons and estates from the UK – will eventually see us all running around in bigger and bigger, less fuel-efficient SUVs to the detriment of everyone.

But BMW still sees a strong market for its saloons and estates, especially the 5 Series and 3 Series, with a new 5 Series just launched in the UK and Europe.

Now, the new 5 Series arrives in China and appears to be available in just a single petrol ICE version and the electric i5, but beyond the powertrain the Chinese i5 is quite a bit different.

For a start, it comes as standard with a longer wheelbase (probably 5-6 inches longer) to give party room in the back, but also with a host of glossy bits to appeal to a younger audience.

The glossy stuff includes LED lights, an illuminated grill and an illuminated ‘5’ on the Hofmeister kink which pulses when charging the i5, tricksy ambient lighting, a curved screen in the front, a whopping great 31.3″, 8k theatre screen in the back, top-end Bowers & Wilkins sound, bi-colour leather and bronze inlays.

With BMW flogging over half a million of the last 5 Series in China in the last two years – and over two million since local production began in 2016 – the 5 Series is the market leader in China and BMW is keen to keep the ball rolling.