- Plug-in hybrid performance sedan could make as much as 750bhp and 1,000Nm.
- BMW’s latest curved display and iDrive 8.0 could be part of standard equipment.
After BMW released the mid-life facelift of the M5 in June 2020, it started developing the next-generation M5 super-sedan and here we have a new batch of spy shots of the most powerful 5-Series. It wears the hybrid test vehicle sticker which confirms the announcement of, Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M, who stated in 2021 that the next-gen M5 will be available as a hybrid electric car. According to a report which the British magazine CAR published, the future M5 will arrive in 2024, a year after the next-gen 5 Series.
The plug-in hybrid could get a V8 petrol engine and two electric motors that produce 750bhp and 1,000Nm of torque. The same powertrain will serve the upcoming BMW XM – or X8 if you prefer. Releasing a fully electric BMW i5M model may not be possible at this point because it would need a significantly more advanced battery technology, one that BMW would get access to in 2025 with the Die Neue Klasse cluster architecture. Batteries would have to get lighter for BMW to offer similar dynamic performance.
Until then, BMW M will work on PHEVs and fettling variants of existing EVs like the iX M60. The next-gen M5 could pack BMW Group’s latest tech features like BMW Curved Display (seamlessly integrated fully digital instrument cluster and central display) and iDrive 8.0. At least Level 2 autonomous driving with hands-free highway driving and hands-free parking functions could also be available in the new M5.
