Article Summary
- The BMW i3 NA8 is China-exclusive for now, but that might change in the future.
- Aside from a longer wheelbase, it brings additional changes compared to the standard i3 NA0 the rest of the world is getting.
- BMW is showing off the stretched i3 at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show with an M Sport Package, complete with an M badge next to the Hofmeister kink.
It’s safe to say BMW is putting on quite the show in Beijing these days. Aside from publicly introducing the long-wheelbase iX3 and 7 Series facelift to the local audience, it’s also displaying the stretched i3. This is technically the model’s second generation. The original i3 Sedan, based on the CLAR platform, has been on sale in China for about four years. Going forward, the electric sedan switches to the Neue Klasse architecture.
It’s evident from the interior photos that we’re dealing with a car built from the ground up as an EV. Much like the iX3 in both wheelbase versions, the i3 has a completely flat floor. As this is the LWB version, it offers acres of rear legroom. We’ve also spotted buttons for heated rear seats, a feature we haven’t yet seen on the standard-wheelbase car. Its crossover twin has them as well.
Although BMW’s Chinese arm remains relatively secretive about the i3 NA8, we can’t help but notice the bold specification of this build. It’s painted in Isle of Man Green with a predominantly white interior, an M Sport Package, and large two-tone wheels. Compared with the global model, the bigger i3 has an illuminated M badge next to the Hofmeister kink. Of course, the rear doors are longer after the wheelbase stretch, which now measures more than 3 meters (118.1 inches).
A more obvious change is the semi-enclosed door handle design. Why the switch from the i3 NA0 sold in the rest of the world? To comply with a new regulation in China that effectively deems pop-out handles illegal due to safety concerns. BMW had to make the same change for the iX3 Long Wheelbase and possibly other China-specific models currently in development. If the already-spied iX4 is coming to China, logic suggests it’ll use this familiar door-handle design as well.
While the global release of the i3 focused on the 50 xDrive version, its Chinese counterpart does things differently. It eschews the front motor in favor of a rear-wheel-drive setup. BMW won’t divulge details about the i3 40, but we learned from the iX3 40 that the battery has a net capacity of 82.6 kWh, compared with the 108.7 kWh pack used in the iX3 50 xDrive.
Look for China’s i3 to be much nicer inside than the standard-wheelbase model. If it’s anything like the iX3, it’ll have ventilated and massaging seats, upgraded ambient lighting, and a rear wireless charging pad. The crossover also has physical buttons to adjust the front passenger seat, which even gets a leg rest. China-specific upholstery rounds off the interior upgrades over the international i3.
Of course, history has taught us that the i3 Long Wheelbase will likely come at a much lower price as well. There are plenty of reasons to envy Chinese customers, but the NA8 is hardly the first or the last BMW to offer a far better deal in China than in the rest of the world.
