Icon reborn: 2024 BMW 5 Series to debut this year as i5 electric car, but will there be an M version to rival Mercedes-Benz EQE 53?

The next generation of BMW’s 5 Series large sedan will be a new step for the badge, marking its departure from its tradition since its reveal in 1972.

Set to debut later this year, the 2024 BMW 5 Series will be the eighth generation of the executive sedan, and the first in its history to fully embrace electrification.

“2023 will bring further models, including the BMW i5”, the brand confirmed, as it hopes to reach a milestone of 15 per cent electric car sales in 2023.

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Speaking to Autocar, BMW sales chief Pieter Nota said the brand’s current focus is electrification, not unlike many of its rivals.

“The clear focus will be on continuing to ramp up electromobility. The next milestone for 2023 is for 15 per cent of our total sales to come from fully electric vehicles.”

“With the launch of the BMW i5 later this year, we are taking another important step on the road to electrifying our model line-up.”

Of course, there will still be a petrol version of the BMW 5 Series, likely in a similar line-up to the current generation, which starts with a $105,700 (before on-roads) price tag for the turbo-four-powered 520i, though it's unclear if the next version will continue with an entry model such as that.

It’s also possible BMW could take the 5 Series slightly further upmarket, a move which would mirror Mercedes-Benz’ aspirations with its rival to the 5 Series, the E-Class. It could also have a hybrid and potentially mild-hybrid version of a mid-level badge like the 530i/e as its entry point.

What we can expect for now is a similar electric drivetrain pairing to the BMW i4 coupe, which comes in a base eDrive 40 specification making 250kW and 430Nm, though its rear-drive, single motor layout might not translate to the large sedan.

The current 5 Series starts at 5,700 for the 520i.

What will, however, is the use of all-wheel drive and a motor at each axle. Both variants of the i5 could use this, with the higher spec wearing an M40 or M5 badge and having outputs north of 350kW and 700Nm.

In terms of design, don’t expect a radical departure from the current model, with the render from SRK Designs at the top of this page likely to be fairly accurate based on what BMW has done with its 4 Series and the i4, as well as the changes between the new 7 Series and its i7 EV version.

Unfortunately for the M enthusiasts among us, there won’t be a full-fat M car for the 5 Series until at least 2025, after the brand has fully transitioned into its ‘Neue Klasse’ era in which its strategy becomes almost entirely electric.

“Until then, we will have normally aspirated, turbo and ‘powered’ PHEV applications that deliver what we want to achieve,” he told Autocar.