Now that the curtain has fallen on the previous-generation 5 Series, it’s worth looking back at the sales figures for any interesting stats. BMW made over two million units of the G3x lineup, which came out back in 2017. To this already significant number, you can add more than 110,000 cars if you want to take into account the mechanically related 6 Series Gran Turismo (G32) large hatchback that won’t be renewed for the next generation.
A closer look at the figures shows the 5 Series Sedan (G30) generated sales of just over 820,000 units while the 5 Series Touring (G31) was delivered to over 230,000 customers. Ok, then where did the rest of the sales come from? That answer would have to be the 5 Series Li (G38), a stretched version of the sedan built in China for the local market by the BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture. Lesser known globally, this elongated sedan was a huge hit, racking up sales of 950,000 units.
It goes to show how important China has become for luxury automakers in recent decades. BMW caters to this market with a series of localized products, including a stretched 3 Series Sedan that has a fully electric i3 version not sold anywhere else. It’s not just saloons that have received the Li treatment since the X1 and X5 have also had their wheelbases stretched for greater rear legroom.
Of course, the new 5 Series Sedan (G60) has already gained a more spacious Li variant (G68) for both the conventionally powered versions and the electric i5. Lest we forget the iX3 electric crossover is also built there and exported in many parts of the world, so China is a major manufacturing hub for the BMW Group. That’s especially true considering the new electric MINI 3-Door hatch and the Aceman small crossover are going to be assembled there as well.
Source: Bimmer Today
