BMW has been developing the eight-generation 5 Series for some time. We will finally see it later this month when the automaker reveals it and the battery-electric i5 on May 24.
While we leaped at the opportunity to test drive a 2024 BMW i5 prototype, we still don’t know much about it or its combustion-powered counterpart. Those details should arrive at the big reveal. However, we know that production will begin this summer with an on-sale date set for this October. BMW will build the next-gen model at its factory in Dingolfing, Germany.
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During the prototype drive, we learned that BMW would initially launch the i5 in two configurations – a base eDrive40 and an M60 xDrive. The entry-level model will have a single, rear-mounted drive motor making 335 horsepower. The M60 is more potent with a dual-motor setup making 590 hp. BMW didn’t disclose the variants’ torque figures. The company also chose not to reveal the battery capacity or its range numbers, but it is aiming for 295 miles in the eDrive40.
The new i5 will come packed with technology like its Highway Assistant, which is now completely hands-free. All one has to do to engage a lane change is to look at the corresponding mirror. The BMW 7 Series will get this feature via an over-the-air update once the 5 Series goes on sale this fall.
If pure electricity isn’t your fuel of choice, BMW will offer the 5 Series with combustion, plug-in hybrid, and electrified power. The converted M5 is expected to debut (at a much later date) with a plug-in hybrid powertrain making an absurd amount of power. The setup makes up to 738 hp in the BMW XM Red Label, and the sedan could put most of that power under the right foot.
Our spy photographers have captured the 5 Series Touring testing in public, which could spawn an M Performance trim for the electrified version. The rest of the 5 Series wagon lineup should use plug-in hybrid technology, but we don’t expect it to debut alongside the sedans.