The standard-wheelbase BMW X5 hasn’t even been officially unveiled yet, and BMW is already talking about a stretched version exclusively for China. CFO Walter Mertl confirmed during a quarterly earnings call that a long-wheelbase X5, reportedly codenamed G78, will launch in 2027. That’s roughly a year after the global G65 model makes its summer debut.
Chinese dealers have already seen it. That detail alone tells you where BMW’s priorities sit.
The stretched X5 will feature advanced driver-assistance systems co-developed with Momenta, a Chinese tech firm BMW has already tapped for its Neue Klasse i3 and iX3 EVs built for that market. This isn’t a bolt-on localization effort. BMW is engineering core technology partnerships specifically for Chinese buyers, a level of commitment that goes well beyond swapping out a rear seat for more legroom.
None of this is new territory. The outgoing G05 X5 has been sold in China since 2022 as the stretched G18 variant. BMW has run the long-wheelbase playbook in China for years with the 3 Series, the 5 Series, and now the X5. Rear-seat space is king in a market where chauffeur-driven luxury still commands enormous cultural weight.
Production will almost certainly happen at BMW’s Dadong plant in Shenyang, which is also expected to build the first fully electric iX5. That EV variant reportedly packs a 148-kWh battery, which would be the largest ever fitted to a BMW. The Dadong facility is becoming a cornerstone of BMW’s China manufacturing footprint, a factory complex that has helped the company approach seven million vehicles produced locally since its 2003 joint venture with Brilliance.
The G78 and G65 should share fundamental architecture, though technical differences beyond the wheelbase stretch are expected. BMW has explicitly ruled out selling long-wheelbase models in North America, so don’t hold your breath for a roomier X5 at your local dealer. If you want a bigger BMW SUV stateside, the X7 G67 and its forthcoming iX7 electric counterpart remain the only game in town.
What’s striking is the speed of BMW’s China-specific product cadence. At the Beijing Auto Show just weeks ago, the company debuted a long-wheelbase i3 and iX3, both Neue Klasse EVs designed solely for Chinese consumption, alongside a globally available 7 Series facelift. The G78 X5 is part of a product offensive that promises more than 40 launches by the end of 2027.
An iX4 is also reportedly in the pipeline for China, alongside the i3 Touring electric wagon, though the wagon’s chances there remain murky. BMW is running two product strategies in parallel: one for the world, one for China. The sheer number of dedicated models, localized ADAS partnerships, and purpose-built factory lines makes that impossible to ignore.
In a market where domestic automakers like BYD and NIO are squeezing foreign brands harder every quarter, BMW’s response is to go deeper, not broader. The G65 X5 will be the car most of the world sees this summer. But the G78, the one with Momenta’s driver-assistance tech baked in and being built at a plant that also produces BMW’s biggest-ever EV battery, is the one that reveals where Munich is placing its heaviest bets.
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