Article Summary
- BMW has been making cars in China since 2004 and currently produces a variety of models for the local market.
- It builds combustion-engine cars and EVs at the Tiexi and Dadong factories in Shenyang.
- Most models assembled in China have a longer wheelbase than their global counterparts.
Well, that didn’t take long. Only a few weeks ago, BMW announced it would build its seven-millionth car in China. Now, the milestone has been reached. A long-wheelbase 3 Series Sedan (G28) in Horse Edition specification marks the occasion for the BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture. BMW has held a controlling stake in the JV since early 2022, owning 75 percent of the shares.
The luxury automaker builds a wide range of models at its two factories in the Shenyang region. The Dadong site produces the iX3, 5 Series, i5, and X5, while Tiexi assembles the 2 Series, 3 Series, i3, X1, iX1, and iX3. Dadong was the more prolific of the two plants, building 205,783 cars in 2025. Even though output fell by 40.2%, it still ranked second overall in the BMW Group’s production network, behind Spartanburg, which produced 412,799 SUVs (+4.2%). Tiexi, meanwhile, enjoyed a much stronger 2025, with production rising 16.4% to 330,691 units.
Most vehicles assembled in China not only feature a longer wheelbase for greater rear legroom but also offer a more upscale interior overall. The same applies to the Neue Klasse EVs recently introduced at the Beijing Auto Show. Both the second-generation iX3 (NA6) and i3 (NA8) are stretched models. The luxury automaker typically offers more features and higher-quality materials in China, leaving buyers in other markets envious.
Previous BMW Production Milestones In China
BMW has been building cars in China for more than two decades. Looking back at previous milestones, the six-millionth vehicle produced in Shenyang was an i5 in Frozen Pure Grey, completed in May 2024. Before that, an i3 eDrive40L became the five-millionth car in March 2023. Rewind to September 2021, and the first-generation iX3 became the four-millionth vehicle to wear the “Made in China” label.
In February 2020, a previous-generation 530 was the three-millionth car built there. We couldn’t determine when the two-millionth vehicle was produced or which model it was, but we do know that vehicle number one million was a 3 Series, completed in January 2015.
Looking ahead, BMW has at least one more China-specific model in the pipeline. Aside from the new iX3 and i3 we mentioned earlier, the company has already confirmed another long-wheelbase X5 for the Chinese market, likely carrying the internal “G78” codename. Like the standard-wheelbase global model, the stretched version is also expected to spawn a fully electric iX5 variant.
