A recent report by Car and Driver brought forward an interesting topic: the first-ever BMW i5M electric sports sedan. The publication says their own sources mentioned an i5M would arrive in 2026 with a four motor and 1136 horsepower. The report even mentions a codename “Katharina.” But according to our own sources, BMW has no intention to bring an i5M on the next generation G60 5 Series which is due out this year. The new 5 Series will continue the same engineering philosophy of the i4 and i7 family. So what that means is at least one M Performance electric model – the i5 M60 – with other potential M-derived variants in the future.
Neue Klasse To Bring First Full M Electric Car
In fact, according to the same sources, the first M-engineered fully electric car won’t arrive until the Neue Klasse family of cars is on the road. And that’s when we will likely see the first-ever BMW i5M as well. Furthermore, we expect to first see a Neue Klasse M model either in the shape of an M3 or iX3M. But certainly not an i5M first. The next-generation G60 BMW 5 Series will be unveiled this Spring and will utilize the proven-and-tried flexible CLAR architecture. While the focus of the current BMW CLAR is on combustion engines and the integration of electrified drives is more the special case than the norm, this prioritization should change from 2025. The focus of development will shift towards the electric drivetrains.
So if you’re looking for an M-lite electric sedan, then the BMW i5 M60 might be your only choice for a while. The rumormill churns out that the 2024 BMW i5 M60 xDrive will send nearly 600 horsepower to all four wheels. The torque level should be similar, if not better than the one in the iX M60 – 811 pound-feet of torque. But of course, the i5 will weight significantly less than the massive iX crossover. Furthermore, with a lower center of gravity, the BMW i5 M60 will deliver similar driving dynamics as in the already high-selling i4 M50.
Naturally, an electrified BMW M5 will be part of the G60 5 Series generation though. For the first time, the drivetrain of the M5 will include an “S68” 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with a hybrid electric motor sandwiched in between the engine and the eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. The range is likely to be quite low – around 30 miles – but the power output should be sufficient – 715 horsepower.
Even more exciting is the fact that the same powertrain will also land in the reborn BMW M5 Touring which, surprisingly, will also come to the United States in 2025.
[Render by TopElectricSUV.com]