The next-generation BMW 5 Series likely won’t debut until early next year. The automaker isn’t teasing the model yet as it continues developing the car. A new video from the CarSpyMedia YouTube channel captures the four-door sedan testing on and around the Nurburgring race track.
Unlike the prototype that our spy photographers spotted in July, this test vehicle doesn’t have all of its production lighting elements. The rear taillights look like stand-in units, which could be a trick of all the camouflage covering the sedan. The camo hides the car’s finer styling details, but the front and rear fascias look narrower than the outgoing model. Thin headlights flank a normal-sized kidney grille.
Gallery: 2024 BMW M5 new spy photos
When the new 5 Series arrives, BMW will pack it with various powertrains. We should expect to find gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, and electric ones; however, they won’t all be available in all markets. Recent rumors suggest that the model will arrive in the US as the gasoline 530i and the all-electric i5 to start. The EV will allegedly come in single-motor, rear-wheel-drive eDrive40 and dual-motor, all-wheel-drive M60 xDrive trims, making 335 horsepower (249 kilowatts) and 590 hp (439 kW), respectively.
The next-gen 5 Series will also spawn a new M5. There aren’t many details available, but the car will likely pack an electrified V8. The PHEV powertrain could produce as much as 700 hp (521 kW). Electrification will be prominent across the new 5 Series lineup, with the gasoline models receiving 48-volt mild-hybrid setups to help reduce emissions.
Surprisingly, there are rumors that BMW will launch the new 5 Series with a new Touring variant. The wagon will spawn a high-performance M5 Touring and an all-electric i5 Touring. However, we’ll have to wait for the M models, which aren’t rumored to begin production until the second half of 2024.
BMW will stagger the rollout for the new 5 Series. Production for the 2024 model allegedly won’t begin until this time next year. BMW will start Touring production in March of 2024, with the M5 and M5 Touring following in July and November of that year. We’ll keep an eye out for details leading up to the car’s early 2023 debut.
