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Next-Gen 2024 BMW M5 Makes Spy Photo Debut With Electrified Powertrain

With the current M5 celebrating its fifth birthday this year, BMW’s M Division has started working on its successor, and we now have the first spy shots of a heavily-camouflaged prototype (or is that a mule?).
2024 BMW M5 28 photos
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
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On the visual front, there isn’t much to report on, as the vinyl stickers do a very good job at hiding the new design. Still, since this is an early tester, we can expect the styling to be quite different by the time it arrives in the market, in roughly two years, if the latest reports are correct.

However, the biggest change will lie beneath the skin, unlike its predecessor, the all-new BMW M5 will go down the electrified route. This is not a rumor anymore, as the pictured prototype, snapped in Germany, proves it by wearing the mandatory ‘Hybrid Test Vehicle’ stickers on the sides, and out back.

In all likelihood, the electric motor(s) will assist a twin-turbocharged V8 engine (hear that, Mercedes-AMG?), bumping the output and torque to new heights. Despite the added weight of the battery, it should be able to easily outperform the current M5 CS, which has 626 hp and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm), dealing with the 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) in 2.9 seconds, courtesy of the alleged combined oomph of around 750 hp.

BMW’s upcoming M5 will be based on a different version of the CLAR platform, which supports mild-hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery-electric powertrains. In all likelihood, it will feature a PHEV and will get the typical visual and mechanical upgrades over the normal 5er, including beefier brakes, and stiffer suspension. A zero-emission i5 M is understood to join the family later on, with around 800 hp on tap, taking on the likes of the Tesla Model S Plaid, Porsche Taycan Turbo S, Audi RS e-Tron GT, and the AMG version of the Mercedes EQE.
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Editor's note: Update - January 14: We've added new spy shots of the next-gen BMW M5, and besides the roof sensors, the prototype looks the same.

About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
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After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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