Neue Klasse BMW iX3 Opens Pre-Orders at Chengdu Auto Show From $40,000, Extreme Range Tops 1000km

The long-wheelbase Neue Klasse iX3 officially opened for pre-order on the first day of the Chengdu auto show, offered in three trims.

The iX3 30L starts at RMB 269,900, the 40L xDrive at RMB 299,900, and the 50L xDrive at RMB 339,900, a range of about $40,000 to $50,400. For perspective, the standard-wheelbase iX3 50 xDrive starts at $61,500 in the US, meaning China's stretched version undercuts America's shorter one by a wide margin.

The trim ladder has a clear logic. The entry 30L runs a 77 kWh LFP battery with a single rear motor and 391 miles (630 km) of CLTC range, there mainly to lower the entry point. The 40L xDrive steps up to dual-motor all-wheel drive and an 87 kWh cylindrical NMC pack for 436 miles (702 km).

The flagship 50L xDrive makes 470 hp (351 kW) from a 113 kWh cylindrical battery, claims up to 571 miles (919 km) of CLTC range at 15.1 kWh per 100 km, and already holds BMW's single-charge record after a 640-mile extreme test run. Every version rides on an 800V architecture, adding up to 260 miles (418 km) in 10 minutes, with a 10-80% charge in 21 minutes.

At 192.3 inches long (4,885 mm) on a 118.3-inch (3,005 mm) wheelbase, the 4.3-inch stretch over the global car goes entirely to the second row. The China-specific semi-hidden door handles carry triple redundancy, with high-voltage power, a 12V backup and a mechanical fallback, a clear lesson learned from flush-handle safety scares.

The cabin keeps the Panoramic Vision bridge display and adds an Alibaba co-developed LLM, DeepSeek integration and Huawei HiCar, while Momenta supplies full-scenario highway and urban driving assistance.

Some honest takes. The $40,000 entry car still costs more than a Xiaomi YU7, and its 391-mile LFP range looks ordinary against China's 435-mile-plus crowd, so the 30L reads like a price anchor while the $44,500 40L does the volume.

A BMW dashboard hosting Momenta, Alibaba, DeepSeek and Huawei at once tells you foreign luxury brands have no second road left on Chinese intelligence. From the old converted-gas-platform iX3 to this clean-sheet Neue Klasse, BMW is clearly handing its best hand to the Chinese market first.