BMW has officially introduced the i5 Long Wheelbase in India, marking the company's first fully electric model to be assembled at its Chennai facility. The vehicle is currently available in a single eDrive36L M Sport trim, carrying a recommended retail price of 7.96 million Indian rupees, which translates to roughly 565,000 Chinese yuan at prevailing exchange rates.
India's luxury automotive segment has demonstrated solid momentum in recent times across both electric and combustion-powered vehicles, and the arrival of the locally produced BMW i5 Long Wheelbase serves as another reflection of this upward trajectory. The domestically assembled i5 Long Wheelbase carries a price tag approximately 4 million rupees lower than the imported i5 M60 xDrive variant, a difference of about 284,000 yuan, with the cost gap primarily stemming from the avoidance of steep import duties on fully built vehicles through local assembly.
For BMW, this pricing strategy is designed to lower the entry barrier for customers while strengthening the brand's competitive position within India's expanding premium EV marketplace. The vehicle comes generously equipped, featuring four-zone automatic climate control, ventilated front seats, a 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system, and eight airbags as standard.
Ride comfort has been given particular attention, with the inclusion of adaptive rear air suspension that has been specially calibrated for Indian road conditions. Ground clearance has also been increased to enhance capability and ride quality across more challenging terrain.
Under the skin, the i5 Long Wheelbase draws power from an 81.6kWh battery pack paired with a single rear-mounted electric motor producing 268 horsepower, enabling a 0-100 km/h sprint in 6.7 seconds. According to India's MIDC testing protocol, the vehicle achieves a maximum driving range of 669 kilometers on a full charge. When it comes to recharging, the sedan supports DC fast charging at up to 160kW, allowing the battery to go from 10 to 80 percent capacity in approximately 33 minutes.
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