BMW India pulls off the old X5 from its website

The old BMW X5, which is being sold globally since 2006, has been taken off the company’s official Indian website. The new third-generation X5, which will soon be coming here, had its Indian unveiling at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo and previous reports suggested that the car will be launched in the third quarter of 2014. But now, removing the old car from the website might be an indicator that the new BMW X5 might be launched in India sooner than expected.

The third generation BMW X5 is visually quite different from the current car and carries a lot of cosmetic changes, inspired by the rest of the BMW range. The front fascia is an enlarged version of the F30 3 Series and lends the huge SUV an aggressive look. The car sports sharp lines all over, which coupled with the new roof rails, skid plates, bootlid spoiler and the new alloys give it a sporty stance. The new X5 is expected to be offered with updated technology, driver assists and a newer version of BMW’s iDrive system. The new car is more spacious inside and passengers are seated higher than before.

Mechanically, the new X5 will remain the same. The car used to be offered in the Indian market in two variants, xDrive 50i and xDrive 30d. The former is powered by a 4.4-litre twin turbocharged V8 petrol engine producing 408bhp and 600Nm of torque while the latter is powered by a 3.0-litre flat-six diesel unit, producing 245bhp and 540Nm of torque. Both engines power all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

We had reported earlier that BMW had lined up a new aggressive strategy for the new financial year, which included localising its entire range of products in India, instead of bringing them as completely built units (CBU). In line with this strategy, BMW had introduced the all-new 3 Series GT, which is being locally assembled to give it a competitive price, right from day one. Similarly, the new BMW X5 is also expected to be locally assembled at the company’s Chennai facility which will give the SUV an edge over its rivals, the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 and the Mercedes-Benz M-Class.