A heavily camouflaged prototype of the new BMW i5 saloon was recently spotted testing on public roads. The German luxury automaker’s all-electric saloon version will follow the imminent arrival of the iX flagship SUV and i4 saloon. The company is also planning to launch close to seven EV cars by 2025, which are aimed as an alternative to the likes of the Mercedes EQE and Tesla Model S.
According to Autocar UK report, the i5 prototype will be visually distinguishable from the current version. The EV test variant is bereft of the BMW’s iconic vertical grille, instead it sports a more familiar horizontal arrangement, however, it may be blanked out in the final version. The change gives the car a much sharper look as the grille looks angled backwards that gives the bonnet a small degree of overhang. Among the other noticeable changes are the headlamps which look slimmer than the current 5 Series and also found on some other BMW prototypes such as the new 7 Series and i7 electric car. However, these lamps could also simply be temporary placeholders before the final design comes out.
While the vinyl camouflage hides a great deal of profile detail, the new flush door handles are quite prominent. The concealment doesn’t leak much of the rear end design but a glance shows that the new i5 rear design is a move away from the conventional three-box saloon shape. Nevertheless, the spy shots of the prototypes suggest that the EV and ICE models will have slightly different shapes. No photos of the new BMW 5 Series’ interior were available.
The company has not revealed the motor/tech specs of the new BMW i5, but it can be assumed that it may use the same underpinnings seen on the new BMW i4 and updated 3 series.
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BMW is also yet to reveal how it will vary its 5 Series EV model, but the current 5 Series uses the same CLAR architecture that underpins the ICE and EV versions of the new 4 Series. This means the standard version of the i5 could be offered in both rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive powertrains.
BMW may plan a full unveiling of the new 5 Series sometime in 2023 followed by a market launch in 2024.
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