BMW kicked off deliveries of the new 5 Series and i5 last month, and in Europe, the luxury automaker projects sales will be split evenly between the two. In an interview with Automotive News, a spokesperson for the German brand said the company is projecting the purely electric model will account for half of the total sales in Europe. The combined volume generated by the gasoline, diesel, and plug-in hybrid derivatives will represent the other half.
She was referring to the 50:50 ratio for the entirety of the G60’s life cycle, which is expected to retire around 2030. Globally, BMW thinks the i5 will account for 30% whereas the ICE and PHEV will represent 70% of demand because several important markets haven’t warmed up to the idea of EVs just yet. Bear in mind even the gasoline and diesel models also have some electrification baked in since the engines utilize a mild-hybrid setup.
For the time being, the i5 is available strictly as an eDrive40 and M60 in Europe but the United States recently got the xDrive40 as well. This dual-motor, all-wheel-drive flavor positioned below the hotter M Performance model is coming to Europe at some point in 2024. Next year, BMW will diversify the zero-emission lineup further with the launch of an i5 Touring as the brand’s first-ever electric wagon. It too will be sold as a sporty M60.
Even the all-mighty M5 – coming in both sedan (G90) and wagon (G99) body styles – will have an electric motor and a battery pack. The dynamic duo will take the shape of a super PHEV with a twin-turbo V8 to deliver a combined output expected to hit the 700-horsepower mark.
Over in China, BMW sells a slightly different 5 Series / i5 since the locally assembled model has a longer wheelbase and it inherits the 31.3-inch Theatre Screen from the 7 Series / i7. It even has a different internal codename – G68 – which goes to show how important the People’s Republic has become for China in recent years.
Source: Automotive News Europe
