By BMW is planning to launch the eighth generation of the 5 Series later this year in the Indian market. Now the 5 Series has been spotted in India for the first time at the GARC (Global Automotive Research Centre) in Oragadam, Chennai. But this specific model appears to be a regular wheelbase rather than the long wheelbase model coming to India as the company might have imported it for testing purposes. The badges have been camouflaged and this particular model appears to be Sport variant rather than the top-spec M Sport.
This prototype is finished in blue and the alloy wheels are not the fancy ones we usually get on the M-Sport variant. The ground clearance appears to be slightly higher than the regular model or it could come with a rough road package for India, which will increase the ground clearance. The steering wheel is a two-spoke unit while the M-Sport model comes with a three-spoke unit. The interior of the new 5 Series is completely different from the outgoing version and the highlight is the curved display for the infotainment system and instrument cluster.
The i-drive infotainment system is a 14.9-inch unit and the instrument cluster is a 12.3-inch unit. BMW will offer the latest i-drive software which comes with lots of features. For the first time, BMW will offer the 5 Series in long-wheelbase and the model will be assembled at its Chennai plant to keep costs in check, the petrol engine also gets a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, which will improve overall efficiency. Along with the ICE version of the 5 Series, BMW is going to introduce the i5, which is the electric version of the 5 Series.
