Image of new BMW i5 electric car leaked on social media
BMW’s first electric 5 series sedan, the i5, is days away from making its global debut. Before its official release, an image of the new car was posted online.
BMW says the i5 will take its traditional place in the German automaker’s lineup, sitting between the i4 and the luxury i7 introduced last year.
The new model is equipped with the BMW’s Operating system 8.5, a curved display, which is also found in the iX electric SUV, and state-of-the-art digital services.
A new image of the BMW i5 appeared on social media yesterday, finally revealing the face and design of the EV model. The image, posted on Instagram by user liucuny-starandcar, shows the new i5 in its full.
Earlier, the premium automaker published camoflauged images of the new model. They were taken last month at BMW's test site in the South of France.
This year, the 5 Series has its most significant update: it will be fully electric.
The new electric sedan has a cleaner front end, unlike BMW's typical bulky profile. You can see the iconic kidney grille, looking as big as ever. The i5 looks more aerodynamic and slimmer than the larger i7 but incorporates a similar design.
Over the past year, BMW has taken the i5 across a range of extreme conditions including snow and ice in Sweden, extreme heat, city and country roads, and other test tracks to prepare it for its big debut.
BMW has also said it will bolster the electric sedan’s advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) with high-res cameras, radar sensors, and other refined software. The electric i5 is expected to be officially unveiled in May, with production beginning this summer and deliveries to follow in October.
Production of the new sedan is expected to begin over the next few months exclusively at the BMW Group's plant in Dingolfing in Lower Bavaria, its largest production plant in Europe.
Since its launch more than 50 years ago in 1972, BMW has produced more than 10 million 5 series vehicles in seven different generations.