India will be the first market to get the right-hand drive version of the BMW 3 Series LWB
BMW had recently ended the production of the F34 3 Series GT all of a sudden. What follows now is the news that the carmaker would soon bring in the BMW 3 Series LWB as a replacement for the 3 GT in India. When launched, the BMW 3 series LWB will be the only long-wheelbase model in its class. Though labelled internationally as the ugly duckling, the BMW 3 series GT had had a fairly successful run in India. The car with its extra room on offer found many space-aspirant buyers here. With the GT no more in production, we believe it’s just the right decision from the German giant to pitch in the 3 series LWB into the present market.
What Is The 3 Series LWB ?
Think of it as a BMW 3 Series that has grown considerably in size. By that, we mean as much as 110 mm of extra wheelbase. This, in fact, is even longer than the 3GT itself! Though the width remains the same as the regular 3 series, there are significant hikes in the height and overall length of the 3 LWB. The strong point of the BMW 3 Series LWB is the added space and comfort at the rear. The rear seat occupant now gets much more room than in the BMW 3 series sedan. The rear doors have grown in size by around 11 centimeters, making for easier ingress and egress. The legroom at the rear has grown by around 43mm.
The BMW 3 Series LWB is already on sale in the Chinese market (Now you know where the pictures are from!) It had made its debut there at the Shanghai Auto Show 2019. The Chinese spec is powered by the 2.0L turbo petrol engine putting out 184 hp and 300Nm. However, we expect the Indian version to come with it in the 258hp tune and also hope to have a 190hp diesel variant as well. India will be the first market to get the 3 series LWB in its Right Hand Drive guise. Time still remains till we see if BMW is gonna give this car clear-cut distinction from its sedan counterpart. Expect a price of INR 48-52 lakh, says Autocar.
Will India Buy One ?
From what we have seen to date, long-wheelbase cars have always had a good run here. The 7 Series, S class and the A8 are all LWBs. Mercedes Benz even retails an LWB E class and GLE. All these cars do have fair fan followings here. The desire for more space and added comfort is common among the buyers of these vehicles. Coming further down, the Skoda Superb, retailing fairly well in the country is essentially a long-wheelbase offering as well. Also, the 3 GT had once been the best seller for the brand despite its weird looks. Taking all these into consideration and also the fact that most 3 series buyers prefer being chauffeured around, there exist fair chances of sales success and acceptance for the 3 series LWB.
News Source: Autocar India Image Source: BMW Blog
