BMW Announces Long-Wheelbase F30 3-series for China [Beijing Auto Show]

BMW Announces Long-Wheelbase F30 3-series for China [Beijing Auto Show]:

The long-wheelbase car's stretch (top) is subtle compared to the regular car (bottom).

BMW has announced a stretched version of its new F30 3-series sedan, exclusively for China. The car will make its debut at the 2012 Beijing auto show later this month.
This 3er is taffy-pulled by 4.3 inches, with most if not all of the space apportioned to the rear seats, perfect for a land where BMW’s slogan might as well be the Ultimate Other People Driving Machine. (Chinese folks with the means prefer to be driven around, and this new model will join another China exclusive, a LWB 5-series, in the country’s showrooms.) The long-wheelbase 3-series will be available in 320Li, the 328Li, and 335Li configurations. The latter two should feature the same engines we see in our regular-length 328i and 335i: a 240-horse, 2.0-liter turbo four and a 300-hp, 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six. The 320Li will use a less-powerful, 181-horse version of the turbo four. A regular-wheelbase ActiveHybrid 3 will make its official debut in Beijing, too, but will be sold globally. (Details on the hybrid can be found here.)
While BMW hasn’t released the longer 3′s additional features, the photos in the gallery below show that it will gain rear vanity mirrors with reading lights, a sweet “L”-shaped piece of chrome on the C-pillar, and what look to be controls for moving the front passenger seat forward and out of the way.