BMW gave us more details about the all-new eighth-generation of the 5-Series that will debut in October 2023. The automaker published the first official teaser of the fully electric i5, confirming it will be available in sedan and touring body styles, with the sedan to become available in a hotter M Performance version.
The teaser depicts the BMW i5 Sedan hiding under a cover, but the activated LED headlights reveal the unique lighting signature of the model. We can also see the outline of the large kidney grille and the traditional three-box silhouette of the car which will be mirrored by the 5-Series. The more practical i5 Touring will follow in 2024, confirming what we already knew from earlier spy shots.
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During the BMW Group Annual Conference 2023, Oliver Sipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, revealed that “a fully electric Performance model from BMW M GmbH will also be included in the new BMW 5-Series Sedan lineup”. Zipse said that the i4 M50 was “the best-selling BMW M model worldwide in 2022”, prompting the automaker to decide in favor of a similar offering based on the larger i5. As for the full-blown BMW M5, it was not mentioned in the press release but the latest reports suggest it will use a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Setting aside the fully electric models, the company also revealed more information about the ICE-powered 5-Series. The powertrain lineup will include petrol and diesel options with 48-Volt mild-hybrid technology, alongside the plug-in hybrids, staying true to BMW’s idea of offering multiple choices for the buyer. The company suggests that this will be the most dynamic and comfortable 5-Series ever.
Predictably, the interior of the new generation will feature the BMW Curved Display running on the Linux-based BMW Operating System 8.5. However, it is safe to assume that the 5-Series range will get the Android-based OS 9.0 update in the near future.
The new BMW 5-Series will be manufactured at the Dingolfing plant in Germany, next to the 7-Series, 8-Series, and iX. The same factory will produce the electric motors and high-voltage batteries for the i5. BMW has built more than 10 million units of the 5-Series since the debut of the first generation back in 1972.
