Ahead of its confirmed May 23 debut (early May 24 in Europe), the eighth-generation BMW 5 Series Sedan is revealing its rear design in a new spy shot. Since the roundel doesn’t have a blue contour, we are inclined to believe this is a conventionally powered version rather than the electric i5. That’s not too important since the ICE and EV will look nearly identical inside and out, therefore echoing the 7 Series / i7 and China’s 3 Series LWB / i3.
We can only assume the photo depicts a pre-production prototype caught in Germany at the Dingolfing factory where the luxury sedan will be assembled. The small trunk lid spoiler tells us we’re dealing with a 5er equipped with the M Sport Package, perhaps the M Sport Package Pro judging by the black side mirror caps and roof. Those flush door handles are similar (if not identical) to those of the i4, while the Hofmeister kink is a tad sharper than what we’re used to.
The taillights have been slimmed down and have a flatter shape while the horizontal bars should make the rear seem wider than it really is. Fan or not of how the derrière looks for the upcoming G60 generation, at least BMW has made the effort to give the 2024 5 Series its own look, thus resisting the temptation to apply the copy/paste formula.
Spy shots have strongly suggested the Munich-based automaker won’t be taking any risks with the front design. While the larger 7 Series along with the X7 and the XM all have massive grilles and split headlights, the new 5 will have a conventional appearance. Inside, it’ll be totally different compared to the outgoing G30 by switching to the recently announced iDrive 8.5 infotainment system with the dual-screen setup and minimal traditional switchgear.
Codenamed G61, the wagon should follow shortly, and BMW has already announced there will be a fully electric i5 Touring in 2024. Not long after that, the M5 (G90) will break cover with a twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid making a rumored 700+ horsepower. If reports are to be believed, the M5 Touring is returning for a third generation around 2025 and it supposedly has the G99 internal codename.
