The next-generation BMW 5 Series will be joined by a fully-electric variant, as confirmed by the German carmaker in a business update yesterday. Dubbed BMW i5, the fully-electric executive sedan will be unveiled in October this year alongside its 48V mild-hybrid and PHEV counterparts.
Interestingly, a registration of interest (ROI) is already now available on the local BMW Malaysia website, indicating at perhaps an imminent launch here in Malaysia not too long after its global debut. Head on to the website, linked here, if you’re interested.
As usual, there aren’t many details for us to pore through here, but BMW did announce that it’ll sport a “fresh interpretation of its signature elegantly sporting design”, and will be “more dynamic and more comfortable than ever”, alongside all the usual bold marketing claims.
Inside, the G60 and G60E (for i5) generation 5 Series will also feature the now-standard BMW Curved Display on the dashboard, and will run on the upcoming BMW Operating System 8.5 – an updated, ‘stop-gap’ version of the current iDrive 8 system before the Android-based iDrive 9 rolls around.
More interestingly, however, is that the all-new fully-electric BMW i5 will also be offered in a “BMW M Performance model”. This won’t be a full-blown M model like the M5, but more in line with the i4 M50 that offers increased performance from a similar twin-motor powertrain set-up.
“The all-electric BMW i4 M50 shows how BMW blends dynamic performance and electric mobility to perfection,” said BMW Chairman, Oliver Zipse, at the recent BMW Group Annual Conference. “It was the best-selling BMW M model worldwide in 2022. A fully electric Performance model from BMW M will also be included in the new BMW 5 Series sedan line-up.”
The sedan will also be joined by the 5 Series touring in Spring 2024, which will also be available as a fully-electric model.
There’s not much to see from the sole teaser image BMW provided, aside from perhaps a tall and flat nose, and what looks like a return-to-form for the daytime-running lights signature, with a discrete twin angel eyes look.
We also know that the all-new 2023 BMW 5 Series will not be built on the marque’s upcoming EV-exclusive Neue Klasse platform just yet, instead relying on the CLAR platform for this G60-generation model, making it one of the marque’s last model to be based on the older architecture.
The fully-electric Neue Klasse platform will only be due sometime in 2025, headlined by the all-new 3 Series model. Although, earlier reports stated that the model might be built on two separate platforms for EV and petrol models, as certain markets might not be mature enough to embrace a fully-electric 3-er just yet.
Either way, the German carmaker is planning to debut “at least six models” built on the Neue Klasse platform within 24 months of the start of production. Prior to that, though, there will also still be the BMW X2 and fully-electric iX2 due sometime in 2024. The company is still keeping mum on its exact details, although we can be pretty sure it’ll still be the same compact coupe-crossover model, but based on the all-new X1 and iX1.
As for its sister brands, a new fully-electric Mini Countryman is also set to debut in the coming years.
