Spy Shots – BMW X3 & BMW M5

BMW X3

BMW is working on a new generation of its X3, and our spy photographers have caught another prototype undergoing cold-climate tests in Sweden. It’s the first time we get to see the new model in the sporty M40i guise. The next-gen BMW X3 is set for a late 2023 reveal as a 2024 model, and we can already see that it will continue to have internal combustion-engined as well as electrified versions.

As you can observe, the lights on the vehicle are not final, and you should expect them to change by the time this X3 becomes a production model. All signs point to thinner lights, but their general shape, as well as position, should remain unchanged from what can be seen on this prototype. Expect LED lights as standard, with LED Matrix or Laser lights as an optional feature.

The front grille of the upcoming BMW X3 is set to grow, and – just like other BMW models – the upcoming X3 will come with an active front grille, as well as other devices meant to optimize the vehicle’s thermal efficiency, reduce its fuel consumption, and cut CO2 emissions.

BMW will also offer multiple versions of the upcoming X3, so we should see it in full-electric, PHEV, and hybrid versions, not to mention a hybridized X3 M – and, of course, this semi-hot six-cylinder X3 M40i. The current model has an output of 340 hp – and we wouldn’t be surprised if the new model will jump over the 350-hp barrier.

AUTOMEDIA

BMW M5

After BMW released the mid-life facelift of the M5 in June 2020, it started developing the next-generation M5 super-saloon yet a while ago, and we’ve seen plenty of prototypes being tested in heavy camouflage. Today, our man at the ‘Ring got another set of pictures of the most powerful 5Series, but this time the test car wears the full production body with the production lamp units front and rear as well as the wide wheel arches to house the large wheels. Visible for the first time is the front with the impressively sculpted bumper. Even the grille and front air intakes are clearly visible. The prototype wears the “electrified vehicle” sticker which confirms the announcement of Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M, who stated in 2021 that the next-gen BMW M5 will be available as a hybrid electric car.

According to a report which the British magazine CAR published, the future BMW M5 will arrive in 2024, a year after the next-gen 5 Series (BMW G60). The plug-in hybrid EV could get a V8 petrol engine and two electric motors that produce 750 hp and 1,000 Nm of torque.

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.

AUTOMEDIA

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), BMW iDrive 8.0, BMW Digital Key Plus with Ultra-Wideband technology (Digital Key 3.0), etc. At least Level 2 autonomous driving with hands-free highway driving and hands-free parking functions could also be available in the all-new vehicle.