BMW introduced the new 5 Series Touring this week with one glaring omission – there is no initial version offered with a pure gasoline combustion engine. You can get the 530e that combines an ICE with an electric motor but there’s no 520i, 530i, or something to that effect. Well, at least not right away. In the United Kingdom, the lineup is even simpler since the diesels won’t be sold there.
A diesel engine used to be the default choice for a wagon in Europe but not anymore. Oil-burners have fallen out of favor in the wake of the Volkswagen Group’s messy scandal. In addition, stricter emissions regulations and higher taxes on polluting engines are accelerating the demise of the once-popular engine. With that in mind, BMW UK won’t even bother bringing the 520d / 520d xDrive Touring, let alone the six-cylinder 540d xDrive Touring.
Instead, the sixth-generation 5 Series Touring will be sold in the United Kingdom strictly with a charging port. The 530e plug-in hybrid is going to be offered alongside the fully electric i5 eDrive40 and the i5 M60 xDrive. Although BMW intends to sell the 530d with xDrive in other markets, it’s not coming to the UK.
What else is coming to the G61’s lineup? Aside from the hotly anticipated M5 Touring debuting later this year with a plug-in hybrid V8 making over 700 horsepower, there should also be a 550e xDrive. In the sedan, the PHEV setup pairs an inline-six 3.0-liter gasoline engine with an electric motor for a total output of 483 hp and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm).
It’s still unclear whether there will be an M Performance version of the 5 Series G60/G61 with a combustion engine. There has been some gossip about an M560e plug-in hybrid but it’s still a rumor at this stage. In the meantime, the i5 M60 will be the only M Lite version, complete with 593 hp and 605 lb-ft (820 Nm) from a pair of electric motors.
Source: BMW UK
