BMW 5 Series first in line as brand to update entire ICE line-up
BMW will completely overhaul its current combustion-powered line-up, starting with a heavily updated 5 Series, to bring these models into line with a range of incoming Neue Klasse electric cars.
The new-era EVs will begin with the unveiling of the iX3 at the Munich motor show in September and this will kick-start a rapid-fire refresh programme for BMW, which is working to ensure its current-generation models are not outpaced by newer siblings.
The next 3 Series will follow shortly after the iX3 and use the same EV-first architecture, which, in time, will be the base for all BMWs.
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Before then, though, BMW will redesign and substantially upgrade models that are not yet due for replacement, to ensure a coherent, logical line-up.
The first of these will be the 5 Series, due next year. Although the eighth-generation saloon was launched in 2023, recent spy shots reveal that it is already preparing to undergo a significant refresh. This update – which is also destined for the M5 – is centred on a striking, prominent new nose that will bring its design into line with the Neue Klasse models. While nothing has been confirmed, an interior makeover could be on the cards too, given BMW is set to roll out its new Panoramic iDrive set-up.
This features a new dashboard, an extended head-up display, a redesigned steering wheel and an angled 17.9in touchscreen – plus the removal of physical buttons. The system will first be used by the iX3 and then adopted by all BMW models.
Given it is only a mid-life facelift, the 5 Series will continue to sit on the same CLAR architecture; in the future, all BMWs will use the firm’s new electric-first NK platform. Power, too, will come from the same units as today: either a 205bhp mild-hybrid or a 295bhp plug-in hybrid system. Both employ the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine. The M5 is also likely to retain its 4.4-litre V8 PHEV set-up that puts out 717bhp.
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Following the 5 Series revamp, there will also be a new X5 and updated versions of the 2 Series, X2, 7 Series and X7.
Speaking to Autocar, product boss Bernd Körber clarified that Neue Klasse refers to “the next generation of all cars and all toolboxes when it comes to engine, digital, ADAS etc”.
He added: “We will launch the Neue Klasse on a BEV-purpose platform with iX3 and 3 Series, but then the rollout will be within three and a half years across the entire portfolio.”
So while the new iX3 and 3 Series will look radically different from the rest of the line-up initially, BMW will quickly implement a more uniform approach to styling and functionality.
According to BMW Group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk, this is because the new-era BMW models shouldn’t make the current cars appear like a previous generation.
“We will make sure that the form language that we are developing now – and starting this year at the IAA [Munich show] with the first of the Neue Klasse vehicles – will be rolled out over the entire product portfolio, leaving no car behind,” he said. “Of course, it would not be good for us or for our customers if there would be a new type of BMW and a ‘classic’ type of BMW. We’re going to change the look and feel of the BMW brand.”
He added: “There will be a family resemblance but each car will have its own distinct character traits, just like we have today. But everything will look very new in a short space of time. We’re not only launching one car now in September: it will be the beginning of a whole range of new vehicle launches in the next two to three years. We’re going to renew pretty much the whole product line-up.”
Van Hooydonk said this all-encompassing decision was made in recognition of automotive technology and design advancing faster than ever before. “Why are we making this much change in design? Because the technology is changing this much. Society’s appetite for change has sped up,” he said.
As reported by Autocar, the 1 Series is likely to be the next car after the X5 to be replaced by a new-gen Neue Klasse model, probably in 2028.
Core models including the 2 Series, 7 Series, X1 and X2 that were introduced only two to three years ago will get a heavier-than-usual facelift by 2029, with the new design language, interior arrangement, powertrain technology and technical functionality.
It remains to be seen exactly what the future holds for older model lines such as the 4 Series and 8 Series. There has been no indication yet that new generations are in the works but they are likely to be too close to the end of their natural life cycles to warrant such a significant and expensive round of updates.
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