BMW has officially announced the premiere of the new eighth generation 5 Series for the fall. For the first time, an electric fraction with the i5 index will appear in the five-fifth family, it will include a sports sedan from BMW M GmbH and aimed at the European market BMW i5 Touring.
The BMW 5 Series dates back to 1972, since then the German company has produced more than 10 million copies of this model in all its varieties. In the new, eighth generation, buyers will have plenty to choose from: full electrification is not yet planned, the “duty” gasoline and diesel versions will remain in the range, but each internal combustion engine will be equipped with a 48-volt mild-hybrid makeweight.
Plug-in hybrid «five» will also be, but which ones, the company has not yet disclosed. According to rumors, the «hydrocarbon» top version of the M5 will be a plug-in hybrid and will be offered immediately in the spirit of the bodies — a sedan and station wagon.
The all-electric BMW i5 Touring station wagon has been officially announced, it is promised to be presented in the spring of 2024. The all-electric “emka” has so far been announced only in the sedan body — it will probably be shown in October as part of the general premiere of the family. The only teaser released today shows a conventional BMW i5 electric sedan. In the cabin, a curved dual-screen display, already well known from other recent BMW innovations, and the latest “OS” BMW OS 8.5 are promised. The new «five» as a global model will be produced at the BMW plant in German Dingolfing (Bavaria), Chinese extended versions with the letter L will debut at the end of this year. No other official details yet.
The announcement of the new «five» was made as part of the annual big BMW press conference, tied to the publication of financial results for the previous year. In 2022, sales of BMW Group vehicles (which includes Mini and Rolls-Royce) worldwide decreased by 4.8% compared to sales in 2021 to 2,399,632 units, while sales of electric vehicles increased by 107.7% to 215 752 pcs. Net profit immediately increased by 49.1% to 18.58 billion euros.
It turns out that so far electric vehicles account for only 9% of BMW Group car sales, but by 2025 the Bavarian company wants to increase the share of electric ” to 25%, and 50% is planned to be reached “well before 2030.”
Hydrogen electric vehicles remain in the area of interest for BMW: in February, the company launched the BMW iX5 Hydrogen crossover in small-scale production, but it will not go on sale is a kind of test laboratory and a reserve for the future. The first hydrogen-powered electric car that anyone can buy will be unveiled by BMW in the second half of this decade.