BMW has already built an electric iX5 but it has a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a battery pack and you can’t even buy it. The zero-emission luxury SUV is part of a pilot program to better learn how a hydrogen-fueled vehicle works in a real-life environment by evaluating the prototypes in various conditions, some of which are seriously harsh.
There will probably come a time when you’ll be able to buy an X5 without a combustion engine. However, it won’t be a hydrogen variant, but a battery-powered EV. We’ve been talking about the possibility of an electric derivative for a while and a new report from a trusted BMW insider gives credence to our original reporting. Yes, it looks as though the fifth-generation model will be available in all-electric guise.
Codenamed G65, the revamped posh SUV is reportedly set to enter production in the second half of 2026 and will get an iX5 variant. Although BMW will have launched the Neue Klasse platform by then, the next X5 in all its flavors will stick to the existing CLAR architecture. By sharing the same internal codename with the conventionally powered model rather than switching to something with “NA” like the Neue Klasse EVs, it seems the iX5 will be an electric adaptation of the ICE model.
According to ynguldyn from the Bimmer Post forums, BMW intends to sell the iX5 in a base 50 xDrive variant and a hotter M Performance model dubbed M70 xDrive, a suffix already in use for the electric M Performance version of the 7 Series. There are conflicting reports about whether the ICE variant will keep the V8 or not. From what we’ve heard, you’ll still be able to have eight cylinders under the hood in the United States but not in Europe where there are stricter emissions regulations. This situation is already happening with the V8-powered 760i you can’t get on the Old Continent but it is available in the U.S. of A.
The models with gasoline engines are expected to drop the letter “i” from the end of their names as part of a new strategy that will be rolled out in 2024 on the next-generation 1 Series. In Europe, the G65 X5 is likely to retain a diesel engine, and logic tells us a plug-in hybrid option will remain part of the lineup in many parts of the world.
Source: Bimmer Post