The i5 will be the sixth BMW model to carry the i badging when it is officially introduced later this year, but it is just as important as any other BMW.
The i5 is launching in conjunction with combustion-engined variants of the new 5 Series, with PHEVs to follow, and is arguably the biggest step for the 5 Series in more than fifty years. The 5 Series is an iconic nameplate with a rich and extensive history, with BMW having sold more than 10 million units over seven generations.
It is certain that the BMW 5 Series Sedan’s all-electric model will provide an excellent driving experience, just like all the other variations. The BMW 5 Series has always been recognised for its ability to mix sports prowess and ride comfort, but innovative Vertical Dynamics Management takes it to a new level.
There will be at least two powertrain options:
- The eDrive40
- The M60 xDrive.
The Highway Assistant, for the first time, uses eye activation to manage the distance to the vehicle in front, make steering adjustments, and make lane changes. This has also advanced the car’s automated driving capabilities.
The BMW i5 has successfully navigated a richly varied testing schedule over the course of more than a year. Navigating everything from the snow-covered and icy surfaces of the winter test centre at Arjeplog, Sweden to regions offering extreme heat and dry conditions, in city driving and on country roads, on motorways, and on hand-picked test tracks.
The BMW Group’s testing facilities outside of Miramas, in southern France, were then used to carry out the fine-tuning work for all the elements involved in the driving experience. Wide differences in vehicle weight result from the variable drive system technology provided by the new BMW 5 Series range, which now offers consumers a choice between conventional internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrid options, and completely electric drive systems.
With its broad array of automatic driving and parking features, the new BMW 5 Series Sedan also sets a higher standard for its sector. The ingredients for an automated driving experience with innovative highlights that further improve safety and comfort are high-resolution cameras, high-precision radar sensors, and control units from the BMW Group’s most recent technology toolkit, as well as a software programme improved over countless kilometres of testing.
The BMW 5 Series Sedan’s automated lane change, which is part of the Driving Assistant Professional and Highway Assistant, can be operated via eye activation, a world first, thanks to the assistance of an interior camera that also helps monitor the driver’s degree of alertness. There is a new degree of contact between people and cars as a result of this convenience feature.
No powertrain details have been revealed yet but what was revealed are the power consumption for the two variants. The i5 eDrive40 uses 19.7–16.0 kWh per 100 km, whereas the i5 M60 xDrive uses 21.2–17.9 kWh per 100 km.
At the BMW Group Plant Dingolfing in Bavaria, production of the new, eighth-generation BMW 5 Series Sedan will start somewhere in June 2023. The market introduction of the vehicle will begin in October 2023.
