After facelifting the 3 Series and introducing the next generation 7 Series, BMW is now working hard to put the finishing touches on another core sedan – the 5 Series. Set to debut early next year, the eighth generation could be the first since the 1980s E28 to come without a V8. , at least in a non-M guise. Our friends in BMWBLOG claims the M550i xDrive will be discontinued, therefore taking the 4.4-liter twin-turbo engine.
The move would follow the cancellation of the M550d with a crazy quad-turbodiesel engine a few years ago. Right now, you might be wondering if there will be an M Performance version of the next 5 Series (G60). Healthy, BMWBLOG have good authority, the M550i will be indirectly replaced by the first M560e, which is set to use the same inline-six plug-in hybrid hardware as the recently launched M760e.
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Going on sale next spring, the M760e has a 3.0-liter engine and electric motor that produces a combined 571 horsepower (420 kilowatts) and 590 pound-feet (800 Newton-meters) of torque. The PHEV hits enough to go 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.3 seconds, though the M560e could potentially go a little faster as logic tells us it will be a bit lighter.
Speaking of hybrids, the next M5 has been confirmed to get a charging port. It will retain the V8 engine, but BMW plans to use the new S68 units borrowed from the new 760i, X7 M60i, and the upcoming XM. The latter is set to spawn a top-range version in 2023 with as much as 750 horsepower to match last year’s wild Concept XM, which we’ll remind you of has a terrible 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm).
As to why BMW dropped the V8 from the regular 5 Series, the report doesn’t mention any specifics. However, it may have something to do with increasingly stringent emissions regulations, especially in the European Union. With Euro 7 set to arrive in the years to come, the downsizing trend will continue. The silver lining is that not only will the V8 stay on the M5, but rumors have it that the M5 Touring will be coming back after being dropped from the lineup in 2010 when the V10-powered E61 was discontinued.
