We are already aware that BMW has begun work on a subtle facelift for the current 5-Series sedan (codenamed F10), Touring (F11) and Gran Turismo (F07) models, all of which should arrive in the market next year as part of the brand’s four-year life cycle.
However, as evidenced by the stickers, the lightly disguise 5-Series sedan spotted by our photographers undergoing winter tests in Europe is a different car in the sense that it is equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Currently, BMW offers the non-plug in ActiveHybrid 5 featuring a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline 6-cylinder gasoline engine linked to an electric motor and an 8-speed automatic transmission.
One visible difference between the ActiveHybrid 5 and this prototype is the different arrangement for the twin tailpipes.
At this point, we do not have any details in our hands about the car, so we don’t know if it uses a modified version of the ActiveHybrid 5’s powertrain or a different combination. It also remains to be seen if BMW has plans for a production model, or if it is simply using the 5-Series body to test the plug-in hybrid system purely for testing purposes.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoop
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