MUNICH - BMW is preparing an all-new 5 Series line-up for 2023, and it’s set to offer customers the ‘Power of Choice’ when it comes to powertrains. This means customers will be able to choose from internal combustion, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric variants.
According to Autocar, the next-generation BMW M5 is likely to take the form of a plug-in hybrid, which could pair a twin-turbo V8 petrol motor to an electric motor for a system output in the region of 560kW. That’s a significant boost in power, from the 460kW offered by the current BMW M5 Competition, although the battery will inevitably bring a weight penalty.
An all-electric performance model could also be in the running for a later date, although BMW’s M Division says it won’t launch a fully-electric model before 2025.
The seventh-generation BMW 5 Series will bow out after seven years in mid-2023 and its successor will be radically transformed, both technologically and stylistically, as part of BMW’s transition to a maker of electric cars https://t.co/waw8gyZrvY pic.twitter.com/DLidLo7xot
— Autocar (@autocar) August 23, 2021
Autocar reports that the next-generation BMW 5 Series will be built on a modified version of the current CLAR architecture, which also underpins the 3 Series and 7 Series models among others. According to the British publication, the new 5 will boast a sharper front end design as well as a sportier roof line.
Although BMW is going big on electrification, with the carmaker expecting half of its sales to be made up of fully electric cars by 2030, internal combustion engines will still be part of the mix for a long time to come.
Last year BMW’s R&D chief Klaus Froehlich told Automotive News Europe that BMW plans to continue producing petrol engines for at least another 30 years, while its diesel motors have around 20 years left. However, buyers sticking to ICE will have fewer options as BMW revealed at its AGM earlier this year that the company would be cutting its internal combustion engine range by half by 2025. This is likely to start with the bigger engines, meaning that even if the next-generation BMW M5 retains its V8 heart, it could very well be BMW’s last eight-cylinder offering.