According to remarks made by BMW China’s president and CEO Christoph Stark at the recent Guangzhou motor show, BMW is to become the first premium brand manufacturer to export cars from China. The unique-to-China long wheelbase 5 Series will be the first model, Stark claims.

“We will find some markets, maybe in the Middle East, somewhere in Asia, or some other markets that welcome the products where we can test this,” he said in comments reported by Chinese state media.

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The current generation long wheelbase (+14cm) 5 Series sedan for China was announced by BMW in March 2010. It is manufactured at the Brilliance JV plant in Shenyang. There are three such Li variants, each powered by a six-cylinder petrol engine. These went on sale in August 2010. BMW sold 36,223 units of the 5 Series Li during the first half of this year.

As well as in Germany and China, the BMW 5 Series sedan is built or assembled in Thailand, Mexico (armoured versions only), India and Russia.

Author: Glenn Brooks

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