By BMW is going to introduce the new-generation 5 Series later this year in India as the German manufacturer will introduce ICE and EV versions together just like they did for the 7 Series. We have reported earlier that the 5 Series coming to India will be offered in long-wheelbase which will be a first for BMW in India as they have already launched the long-wheelbase 5 Series in the Chinese market. According to new reports, the company won’t introduce long wheelbase i5 in the Indian market as it will be available only in short wheelbase.
The i5 is going to be imported to India while the 5 Series will be assembled at its Chennai plant. BMW is not expecting high volumes for the i5 as making a right-hand drive version is very expensive and they need to have sufficient volume to cover the cost. Globally also the company is not offering right hand-drive long-wheelbase version of the i5. But for the regular 5 Series, BMW will be offering only the long-wheelbase version as customers in this segment prefer to have extra legroom and they will spend more for the additional space.
The E Class is the main competitor of the 5 Series and they are offering a long-wheelbase version only in India, which is assembled in Pune and it helped them to price the model well, which resulted in good sales. The long wheelbase 5 Series offers 145 mm additional wheelbase and it results in extra legroom. For the first time, the new 5 Series comes with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system for the petrol engine as it produces 255 hp of power and 400 nm of torque. The i5 is expected to come with an 81.2 kWh battery pack with 340 hp and a 582 Km range.
