Our spy photographers have spotted the next-generation BMW 5 series in the midst of its development programme for the first time. It’ll reach showrooms in 2023 with the option of a pure-electric i5 variant, which will allow it to compete directly with the upcoming Mercedes EQE and the recently revised Tesla model S.
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The all-electric BMW 5 series will follow the iX3 crossover, i4 saloon and larger iX SUV into the showrooms – and, like those cars, it’ll carry an “i” prefix before its model number to set it apart from the petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid variants that will also appear in the range.

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The new BMW 5 series shares elements of its design with the upcoming 7 Series, featuring the same narrow headlamps and a similarly aggressive nose. Unlike some of BMW’s recent offerings, such as the 4 Series, the kidney grilles have been kept to a sensible size.
Overall, the styling tweaks appear to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The new automobile looks much like the current model in profile, and the rear end retains most of the same lines – right down to the dinky ducktail spoiler atop the bootlid.
The current G30 5 series is based on BMW’s modular CLAR underpinnings, which uses high-strength steels and lightweight composites in its construction. This eighth-generation model will probably use an updated version of the same platform and, given that the iX3 SUV makes use of similar underpinnings, the EV tech is likely to be carried over, too.
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