Photo: Stefan Baldauf / SB-Medien
The 5 Series holds a special place in the BMW pantheon. The first Bimmer to feature Series in its name and the three-digit nomenclature, the 5er also happens to be the second M-badged car after the M1 supercar.
Continuously improved since 1972 when the E12 came out, the 5 Series prepares to enter its eighth gen with styling influences from the 7er.
Recently spied on public roads with two different powertrains, the G60 also appears to borrow a few design cues from the Chris Bangle-era E60. Penned by the late Davide Arcangeli, the E60 was considered very controversial when it came out in 2003 because of the huge shift in design from the E39.
Part of the reason the fifth generation was met with reproval is what automotive designers call negative surface. According to chief of design Chris Bangle, “the idea was to use the negative surfaces instead of lines, to give you a different idea of what the vehicle is.” This design trickery and the concave sections on the sides give the impression of less visual weight, a feat that didn’t apply to the rivaling C6 Audi A6 and the W211 E-Class.
Turning our attention back to the upcoming redesign, the eighth generation plays the “something old, something new” card because an evolutionary revamp is much safer than a revolutionary approach. Under the skin, however, the 5er truly is revolutionary in the historical sense of the word because the i5 will introduce the BMW 5 Series to all-electric propulsion.
At least one plug-in hybrid and countless mild-hybrid powertrain options will be available in pretty much every market where the G60 will be sold. European customers will get a few turbocharged diesels too although diesel will probably have to be discontinued from passenger vehicles in the Old Continent in 2025 when the Euro 7 emission standard will go into effect.
Recently spied on public roads with two different powertrains, the G60 also appears to borrow a few design cues from the Chris Bangle-era E60. Penned by the late Davide Arcangeli, the E60 was considered very controversial when it came out in 2003 because of the huge shift in design from the E39.
Part of the reason the fifth generation was met with reproval is what automotive designers call negative surface. According to chief of design Chris Bangle, “the idea was to use the negative surfaces instead of lines, to give you a different idea of what the vehicle is.” This design trickery and the concave sections on the sides give the impression of less visual weight, a feat that didn’t apply to the rivaling C6 Audi A6 and the W211 E-Class.
Turning our attention back to the upcoming redesign, the eighth generation plays the “something old, something new” card because an evolutionary revamp is much safer than a revolutionary approach. Under the skin, however, the 5er truly is revolutionary in the historical sense of the word because the i5 will introduce the BMW 5 Series to all-electric propulsion.
At least one plug-in hybrid and countless mild-hybrid powertrain options will be available in pretty much every market where the G60 will be sold. European customers will get a few turbocharged diesels too although diesel will probably have to be discontinued from passenger vehicles in the Old Continent in 2025 when the Euro 7 emission standard will go into effect.
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