The most important product launch planned by BMW for 2023 is the BMW i5. The electric sedan has been spied near the Nürburgring with slightly less camouflage than before. We get the opportunity to see a good chunk of the front grille with its thick vertical slats and a chrome bar between the kidneys. The prototype also had the production-ready headlights with sweptback clusters. The new lights appear to be slimmer than on the outgoing 5 Series.
The side profile shows “Electrified Vehicle” stickers on the front doors, revealing BMW was testing the i5 version without a combustion engine. Despite the swirly camouflage, the new flush door handle design is easy to notice and should help improve airflow for better efficiency. At the upper corner of the rear doors, there’s an extra piece of disguise to mask the redesigned Hofmeister kink.
Moving at the back, the same “Electrified Vehicle” lettering reiterates the prototype was an EV. The license plate ending in “E” and the lack of an exhaust are also telltale signs BMW was out testing the i5. Peeking through the disguise are wide taillights with double horizontal bars substantially different than other sedans from Munich.
Although the interior was not captured in this set of spy shots, we still can take a peek at the cabin and get an idea of the redesigned dashboard. The eighth-generation 5 Series will transition to the Operating System 8 with side-by-side screens. The driver’s display will likely measure 12.3 inches while the touchscreen is going to have a 14.9-inch diagonal. The latter is expected to incorporate the climate controls considering the 3 Series and 7 Series have lost the physical buttons and knobs for the HVAC.
BMW will introduce the standard 5 Series Sedan and i5 in the first half of 2023, with the Touring (G61) to arrive a few months later. Rumor has it an i5 Touring is also in the works.
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