Since the beginning of high-performance executive sedan times during the early 1980s, BMW has been at the forefront of sports sedan action with the uninterrupted M5 series. But is that enough in this climate of automotive change, which is now profoundly enamored with crossovers, SUVs, and trucks, plus the novel EV lifestyle?
The first BMW M5, based on the E28 iteration of the 5 Series, appeared almost four decades ago in the fall of 1984. It had the body of a four-door sedan, an inline-six 3.5-liter engine, plus the layout of traditional sports cars – front engine and rear-wheel drive. Since then, the recipe went on almost unchanged – except for the occasional addition of a five-door station wagon or the upgrade to V8 glory to keep up with the horsepower wars and the introduction of tail-happy AWD on the current F90 iteration.
The latter, naturally, flaunts the S63 twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine just like other members of the M GmbH family (such as the X5 M and X6 M sport utility siblings) and even went as high as rocking the first ever CS version of the M5 series up to a tune of 626 horsepower and a lighter thread of 1,866 kg (4,114 lbs.). It's a hefty fellow, nonetheless, right? Well, things are going to get even heavier because, as opposed to one of its biggest rivals – the upcoming Mercedes-AMG E 63 S E-Performance – the next-generation M5 will not lose its V8 engine, but instead, it will infuse it with electrification trickery.
And that usually means the addition of power control electronics, at least an electric motor to potentially drive the front wheels for an eAWD format, plus a sizeable battery pack because it will also have plug-in hybrid capabilities. And how will BMW resolve the added heft conundrum – probably with a lot more power than before?
Sure, the bar is already set pretty high by the current M5 CS, but we already have a threshold to relate to – the BMW XM Label Red flagship high-performance super-CUV, which can rock a total output of 738 hp (749 ps/550 kW) and 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) at a moment's notice, all devised so that it can hit 60 mph (0-97 kph) in 3.7 seconds and a 175 mph (282 kph) maximum speed. With that oomph, the next M5 (Competition) could be even faster, including at the quarter-mile dragstrip locales!
But since the 5 Series is so fresh and BMW only showed the fully electric i5, to begin with, it is pretty safe to assume that we are in for a rather long wait before the Bavarians spill out all the juicy beans in an official presentation, right? For all the impatient folks, no worries; there are some solutions – albeit from across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators.
The good folks over at the AutoYa info channel on YouTube have a satellite venue dubbed AutoYa Interior, and that is where all the (CGI) M5 Competition action occurs, mostly from inside out. Naturally, the resident pixel master also brought forth a few of their signature ideas – and traditional hypothetical color palette reel is not missing, both for the digital cockpit and the virtual exterior. So, which colorful option is your favorite? And do you think the next M5 will equal the mighty XM Label Red or not?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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