Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
BMW is continuing work on its upcoming i5 and 5 Series, which will have many components in common. Our latest sighting of the prototype involved both regular roads in Germany and the famous Nürburgring. As you will observe in the photo gallery, the test drivers of the i5/5 Series prototype were not going for a leisurely drive.
Instead, the development team of the next-gen 5 Series and i5 is pulling all the stops to make the resulting model as close to the character of the brand as possible.
We should not have to explain that BMW is known for having vehicles that are nice to drive hastily, and the company prides itself on that, so the same should apply to the electric sedan, as well as its upcoming platform sibling that will be offered with PHEV and hybrid tech.
The prototype comes with its production-spec lights, which are camouflaged just enough to not reveal their look, but without hindering their main purpose. The shape of the vehicle is also easier to see now that the camouflage has been reduced, while elements like the grille are also inching close to their final form.
If you take a good look at the dashboard, you will notice the curved display that blends the infotainment unit with the gauge cluster. BMW has done this before, and it appears that the German marque will continue to offer this arrangement for future models. The i5 and 5 Series are among those models.
From a powertrain perspective, we do know that the i5 will be all-electric and that the 5 Series will have electric-assisted internal combustion engines. While the M5 will be the most powerful model in the range, it might be followed by the i5's top-of-the-line M60 variant, which is reported to come with as much as 590 horsepower.
Allegedly, the i5 M60 would have the same e-motors as the iX M60, and a battery that would be close in capacity for a reasonable range, but the power of the electric motors might be toned down just a bit to retain the iX's bragging rights, as it is a far more expensive vehicle than the i5 would be.
We should not have to explain that BMW is known for having vehicles that are nice to drive hastily, and the company prides itself on that, so the same should apply to the electric sedan, as well as its upcoming platform sibling that will be offered with PHEV and hybrid tech.
The prototype comes with its production-spec lights, which are camouflaged just enough to not reveal their look, but without hindering their main purpose. The shape of the vehicle is also easier to see now that the camouflage has been reduced, while elements like the grille are also inching close to their final form.
If you take a good look at the dashboard, you will notice the curved display that blends the infotainment unit with the gauge cluster. BMW has done this before, and it appears that the German marque will continue to offer this arrangement for future models. The i5 and 5 Series are among those models.
From a powertrain perspective, we do know that the i5 will be all-electric and that the 5 Series will have electric-assisted internal combustion engines. While the M5 will be the most powerful model in the range, it might be followed by the i5's top-of-the-line M60 variant, which is reported to come with as much as 590 horsepower.
Allegedly, the i5 M60 would have the same e-motors as the iX M60, and a battery that would be close in capacity for a reasonable range, but the power of the electric motors might be toned down just a bit to retain the iX's bragging rights, as it is a far more expensive vehicle than the i5 would be.
Google News