BMW will completely overhaul its current combustion-powered line-up, starting with a heavily updated 5 Series, to bring these models into line with a range of incoming Neue Klasse electric cars.
The new-era EVs will begin with the unveiling of the iX3 at the Munich motor show in September and this will kick-start a rapid-fire refresh programme for BMW, which is working to ensure its current-generation models are not outpaced by newer siblings.
The next 3 Series will follow shortly after the iX3 and use the same EV-first architecture, which, in time, will be the base for all BMWs.
Before then, though, BMW will redesign and substantially upgrade models that are not yet due for replacement, to ensure a coherent, logical line-up.
The first of these will be the 5 Series, due next year. Although the eighth-generation saloon was launched in 2023, recent spy shots reveal that it is already preparing to undergo a significant refresh. This update – which is also destined for the M5 – is centred on a striking, prominent new nose that will bring its design into line with the Neue Klasse models. While nothing has been confirmed, an interior makeover could be on the cards too, given BMW is set to roll out its new Panoramic iDrive set-up.
This features a new dashboard, an extended head-up display, a redesigned steering wheel and an angled 17.9in touchscreen – plus the removal of physical buttons. The system will first be used by the iX3 and then adopted by all BMW models.
Given it is only a mid-life facelift, the 5 Series will continue to sit on the same CLAR architecture; in the future, all BMWs will use the firm’s new electric-first NK platform. Power, too, will come from the same units as today: either a 205bhp mild-hybrid or a 295bhp plug-in hybrid system. Both employ the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine. The M5 is also likely to retain its 4.4-litre V8 PHEV set-up that puts out 717bhp.
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After the apparent promise of the Neue Klasse concept, this is quite the disappointment.
...in the side spy photo, it appears that the 5 Series front over hang beyond the front wheels, is only getting longer and long! The camo is also doing its job of hiding its features, but it just seems that adding the NK face is also extending the length to its mug!