BMW Previews i5 LWB In India, Launch Soon

BMW is preparing to launch a long-wheelbase version of its i5 electric sedan in India, with the car set to become the German marque’s first all-electric sedan assembled locally, at its Chennai facility. At the launch of the X1 LWB, the company showcased the i5 LWB as well, formally acknowledging this launch for the Indian market.

The move would give BMW a locally built rival to the Mercedes-Benz EQE at a moment when its lead in India’s luxury electric vehicle market has widened sharply. BMW sold 3,537 EVs in the financial year 2026, more than three times Mercedes-Benz’s tally, taking its share of the segment past 65 per cent. The iX1 LWB, also assembled in Chennai, accounted for roughly 3,200 of those sales, underlining Indian buyers’ preference for stretched-wheelbase models.

The i5 LWB will use a single rear-mounted motor producing around 340 bhp and 430 Nm of torque, paired with a 97 kWh battery — larger than the roughly 81 kWh pack in the global eDrive40 sold in other markets. The China-market equivalent is rated at 713 km on the CLTC cycle, though this figure is not directly comparable to Indian testing standards, and no ARAI range has been confirmed.

The long-wheelbase format, first developed for chauffeur-driven buyers in China, adds roughly 115 mm to the car’s length and 110 mm to its wheelbase over the standard i5, translating into extra rear legroom — a priority for Indian luxury buyers that has already driven strong demand for BMW’s 3 Series Gran Limousine and 5 Series LWB.

The car would fill a gap left by the discontinued diesel 5 Series and sit below the performance-oriented i5 M60, currently BMW’s only i5 variant sold in India at ₹1.20 crore. It would also arrive as rivals falter: Audi sold just 17 EVs in India in FY2026, an 87 per cent decline, while Mercedes-Benz managed 1,047 units. Tesla, which entered the market in 2025, sold 342 Model Y units.

BMW Group India’s broader momentum has been strong. The company delivered 9,075 cars in the first half of 2026, up 17 per cent year-on-year, with EVs making up 26 per cent of sales.