BMW’s New 5/i5 Series: China Launch

On January 25, 2024, BMW launched the new 5 Series sedan and the battery electric vehicle i5 in the Chinese market. Unlike the typical launch event for a large business sedan, there were no business suits or speech rehearsals. Instead, the event was a casual outdoor party to the extent that German executives used Chinese internet slang as reported by China Daily. According to the media, the event was live-streamed, and randomly participants were asked to express their dislikes about the car.

This was evaluated as not only a reflection of BMW’s confidence in the product but also its innovative spirit and the brand’s efforts to captivate young customers.

The new 5 Series is produced exclusively for the Chinese market at the Dadong plant in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, by the joint venture company, BMW Brilliance. Since starting local production in 2003, about 2 million units of the BMW 5 Series have been sold in China. Last year, the BMW Group sold 824,932 units of BMW and Mini in China, an increase of 4.2% compared to the same period the previous year. Of these, 99,972 battery-electric vehicles were sold, a 138% increase. This accounts for 30% of the total electric vehicle sales of the BMW brand.

With the launch of the i5, BMW now has seven electric models in its lineup in China.

By. Global Auto News