BMW Offering Stretch 335Li In China

I've seen a number of these around. Sometimes sitting next to non-stretched 5 series. And after looking at both in fair detail, I have to has the question, if you can get this in a "long" version, why bother with a 5 series? They are so similiar in size and appearance that without reading the back of the cars I frequently mistake one for the other. And I'm usually "one of those guys" who can tell a make/model/year from 100 yards off. It's a better car I think than the normal size 3 series, especially when you put families into the mix. For an individual with no kids, probably not, then again why is an individual with no kids buying a 4 door?

This article misses the most interesting thing on the 335iL - the chrome trim around the windows is given a piece that extends straight back along the window line and onto the rear fender. It's so Chinese it's hard to believe - what a little touch can do.

um yeah, it's not like most chinese can have more than one kid.

There is a slight mis-understanding perpetuated by the English speaking blogsphere about the point of long wheel base sedans. Some might be "company" or "department" cars that have a driver but most are private vehicles and not chauffeur driven. Rather, the reason why the LWB models are popular is because the back seats in a Chinese car are used a lot more than the back seats of an American car. Think about it, when was the last time you as an American used your back seats for adult passengers? How many times a year does it happen? For long trips? I bet it's actually pretty rare. Most people in America own cars of their own, even teenagers. the average US household has something like 5 cars. In America back seat comfort and leg room just isn't that important. This isn't true in China or most of the developing world where rates of car ownership are lower and an extended family might just have one car and maybe one driver. It's not just because they are poorer, cars in China are more expensive both in absolute terms and as measured by income, not to mention the various limitations on car ownership and congestion regulations in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Car owners in China actually USE their back seats a lot more - taking the extended family on outings, or business trips with clients and co-workers, all situations where the driver actually cares about the comfort of the back seat passengers. Most elderly people in China don't own their own cars or know how to drive, neither do most teenagers, these people would depend on a family member to drive them where as in the US your mother in law and your teenage son probably have their own cars. Americans who do have large families in close proximity often have minivans or large SUVs specifically for that purpose. If you want a similar example of a market niche in reverse, consider the existence in the US market of large non-luxury 2 door coupes based on midsized sedans. Stuff like the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Honda Accord coupe, Nissan Altima coupe, Toyota Solara, and all those FWD junkers GM use to make (Grand Am coupe, etc). These cars basically don't exist outside of the US, because only in the US are there significant numbers of people who 1)want a comfortable large car, 2)would rather have a comfortable space for the driver and 1 passenger instead of back seats, and 3) can't afford a Merc SL or BMW 5 series. It's a unique American affectation.