Inovev forecasts 300,000 units per year worlwide of the new BMW X3 SUV
- The Bavarian carmaker BMW has just unveiled its new D-segment SUV, the X3, which replaces the previous model which was launched in 2017.
- The first BMW X3 dates back to 2004, and was produced in Graz, Austria (at Magna-Steyr), as the carmaker did not have enough production capacity in Germany to produce the model. But in 2010, it was transferred to North America, along with the E-segment X5, at the Spartanburg site in South Carolina. At that time, around 150,000 units a year were produced, mainly for the USA and Europe. Gradually, however, the X3 was also exported to China.
- In 2018, following growing demand in China, the third-generation X3 was also produced there for local demand, at a rate of around 130,000 units a year. Since 2020, Chinese X3 production has been higher than American production. Finally, the X3 has also been assembled in South Africa since 2017.
- The new BMW X3, based on the CLAR platform, is a competitor to the Mercedes GLC and Audi Q5. It is 5 cm longer than the previous generation, reaching 4.75m. It is also 3 cm wider (1.92 m) and 1 cm lower (1.66 m). Its powertrains are carried over from the previous generation, namely a 2-liter MHEV gasoline engine, a 2-liter MHEV diesel engine and a PHEV plug-in hybrid engine. The battery electric version (BEV) should be launched next year, with a different body based on the Neue Klasse concept. Inovev forecasts 300,000 BMW X3 sales per year worldwide.