Automaker BMW just recently announced that a long-awaited redesigned 5 Series will be hitting the dealership lots sooner than expected. And as if BMW lovers everywhere aren’t anxious enough, BMW’s ambitious goals for the 5 Series and beyond will help put them on the forefront of environmental consciousness, performance, technology, and reliability. Moving towards the future of emissions-free cars and promising a whole new lineup of electrified vehicles, we cannot wait for the debut of the 5 Series.

The new 5 Series

A few years back, BMW CEO Harald Kruger unveiled their ACES strategy, which stands for Automated, Connected, Electrified, and Services (mobility services). The strategy came from BMW’s focus on not only keeping up with their competition but also cutting out CO2 emissions from vehicles. This seemingly ambitious goal to work alongside the company’s corporate strategy of Number One > Next will launch BMW into the future of technology, as well as automated driving. According to ExtremeTech, under this new ACES strategy, BMW would be offering 25 electrified vehicles by 2025, with 12 being fully-electric.

Many people found this goal too ambitious, but BMW seeks to impress. CEO Kruger was back in June of 2019, to announce that the 25-vehicle lineup will be moving ahead of schedule by two years. According to BMW Blog, the 25 electrified vehicles will be debuting by 2023 instead, including the highly-anticipated, next-generation 5 Series. Out of these 25 vehicles, more than half will be fully-electric now.

The refreshed 5 Series will feature an entirely new design strategy and will play a strong role in the success of BMW’s ACES strategy. In fact, BMW “expects a 30% increase in sales of its hybrid and electric vehicles between 2019 and 2025,” according to Car and Driver. We may not know all the details just yet, but the new 5 Series will be available in at least 2 electric drivetrains.

What to expect from the upcoming 5 Series

As is to be expected, the upcoming 5 Series will have a completely new naming design, with at least two electric models out by 2023. Nothing has been specified as of yet, but the two 5 Series models will likely have the same fifth-generation eDrive technology that is currently going to go into all future BMW vehicles. The drivetrain is also impressively made without any rare, natural materials. This will mean that the 5 Series will be able to drive roughly between 340 and 440 miles on electric power, depending on the model. This mileage will be made possible by a battery pack with at least 60-80 kWh of juice. There will also likely be an option between a rear-wheel drive electric model, or one with the xDrive system.

Unveiling the 5 Series prototype

In anticipation of the release of the 5 Series, BMW recently unveiled a teaser, Power BEV prototype called “Lucy,” according to BMW Blog. The prototype hit 62 miles per hour in under 3 seconds, with a total power of 720 hp. According to Road and Track, Lucy is powered by three electric motors– one at the front axle and two in the rear. Instead of a traditional limited-slip differential, the rear motors control each wheel independently. This allows for “computer-controlled torque vectoring” and can react to several factors, instead of just wheel speed. Even though there’s no word from BMW yet on whether this prototype model will go into production, it’s a clear indication of the direction the new 5 Series will head in.

While many in the car world thought that BMW has been asleep behind the wheel, the upcoming 5 Series is proof enough that BMW is stronger than ever.