I get that the new M5 needed to be a plug-in hybrid. Emissions rules are getting stricter in Europe so BMW should comply. In comparison with the US, taxes are considerably greater for large-displacement engines. Giving the G90 an electrified powertrain has allowed the Bavarian model to dodge these issues on the Previous Continent. That has led to uncommon conditions the place the M5 is cheaper than the M3 as a result of the latter has a pure ICE setup with excessive emissions. Take Eire for instance, the place an M3 is €151,675 whereas an M5 begins at €137,048. How loopy is that?
Nonetheless, laws within the US is way extra relaxed. That raises a query – why not promote the M550i with a pure V8 engine? BMW has an M Efficiency model of the G60 with the totally electrical i5 M60. I don’t have an issue with that in any respect. It’s simply {that a} gasoline various looks like a no brainer. With out the hybrid bits added, an M550i can be considerably lighter than the full-fat M.
Not that you just want a reminder, however the brand new M5 is a porker. It weighs 5,390 kilos in US specification and a couple of,435 kilograms for its European sibling. M boss Frank van Meel informed Prime Gear earlier this 12 months that the plug-in hybrid {hardware} provides 400 kg (882 lbs). Doing the maths, it’s simple to think about how way more athletic an M550i can be.
Then there’s pricing. An M5 begins at an eye-watering $120,675 with vacation spot costs included. A 540i xDrive prices $66,375, so there’s an enormous hole between the 2 that an M550i may fill. The outdated mannequin based mostly on the G30 was obtainable in the course of the 2023 mannequin 12 months for $82,495 earlier than it went away. Assuming a value enhance, a next-gen M550i would roughly price $85,000. Even at $90,000, it could nonetheless undercut the M5 by $35,000.
Purists, traditionalists, or nonetheless you wish to name them, would additionally choose a V8-only sports activities sedan over a plug-in hybrid that has an estimated electrical vary of simply 25 miles. Many would argue a PHEV setup provides pointless complexity to a efficiency automotive. Certain, it is smart in a Toyota Prius that’s constructed primarily with effectivity in thoughts however an M or M Lite automotive isn’t about gas financial system.
A Gasoline V8 Wagon Would Be Simply About Excellent
Now that America is lastly getting an M5 Touring, how nice would it not be for an M550i wagon to hitch it? The G99 kicks off at a fair greater $122,675 whereas a lesser M variant would doubtless nonetheless keep under six figures, a minimum of earlier than including choices. The ship has sailed for the smaller M3 Touring G81, however BMW isn’t ruling out bringing the next-gen mannequin stateside. Nonetheless, that’ll occur on one situation – if the M5 Touring might be a powerful vendor.
I’m removed from being the one voice speaking about how an M550i would match properly within the G60’s lineup. Earlier this 12 months, we spoke with a BMW official and he informed us sellers within the US are serious about a high-end 5 Sequence Touring. Bernd Körber, Senior Vice President of BMW Model and Product Administration, Related Firm, mentioned solely upper-spec flavors of the G61 would make sense within the US. For that reason, the M5 Touring obtained the stamp of approval first (and hopefully not the final).
“That’s why they [dealers] additionally emphasised that to make it work successfully, it should function inside this distinctive, high-power area of interest. Moreover, they acknowledged that solely top-tier merchandise, related to a novel design, are efficient.”
I perceive {that a} high-end G61 wouldn’t essentially should be a M550i. It may very effectively be a generously outfitted 540i and even an i5 M60. That mentioned, Individuals love their V8 engines. As beforehand reported, the next-generation X5, X6, and X7 are anticipated to stay to a twin-turbo 4.4-liter mill beneath their hoods. We’re assured about US availability though we’ve doubts concerning the G65, G66, and G67 holding the V8 in Europe. Why? Due to the explanations I discussed to start with.
M550i or M560e?
If BMW’s plan is to promote these SUVs with V8 engines in America however not in Europe, why can’t that be the case with the 5 Sequence, too? Sadly, we haven’t heard any experiences concerning the return of the M550i. There have been rumors concerning an M560e with a plug-in hybrid setup based mostly round a six-cylinder B58 engine. Nonetheless, an official affirmation has but to occur. We don’t suppose the G60/G61 lineup will get any new members anytime quickly.
Assuming there might be an M Efficiency model with a combustion engine sooner or later, our cash is on an M560e fairly than an M550i. If BMW has such plans, logic tells us the not-quite-M variant will arrive with the Life Cycle Impulse. The G60/G61 is believed to get iDrive X, the Panoramic Imaginative and prescient head-up show, and an elective passenger display with the automobiles manufactured from early 2027. That would coincide with the beginning of LCI manufacturing.
An M550i would make sense in different markets past the US. For instance, emissions rules are usually not as strict within the Center East the place you’ll nonetheless discover many new V8 automobiles. Rich patrons have an urge for food for large engines nearly all over the place on the earth. A few of them are postpone by the considered shopping for hybrids, even these with eight cylinders.
I bear in mind what former M boss Markus Flasch mentioned in an interview with the German publication Auto Motor und Sport in late 2021. He promised the V8 would stick round a minimum of till the tip of the last decade. Even in 2024, that also provides BMW loads of time to promote an M550i ought to it wish to do this, a minimum of in some elements of the world the place it doesn’t have to fret about assembly tighter fleet emissions targets. Given the corporate’s lofty electrical ambitions spearheaded by the Neue Klasse platform, it’s really now or by no means for the V8 to make its method into one other mannequin.
Within the age of downsizing, we should give credit score the place it’s due. Sure, the brand new M5 is heavy, however a minimum of BMW discovered a solution to preserve the V8. If it may do one thing about bringing again the M550i with out electrifying it, that will be swell. Nonetheless, now that I give it some thought, maybe it could cannibalize gross sales of the M5…
