The roll-out of BMW’s new-generation ‘Neue Klasse’ models continues apace. Just a couple of weeks on from the reveal of the iX3 and a near-production version of the i3 at the Munich Motor Show, we’re now being treated to a first glance at the fifth generation of the brand’s original SUV, the BMW X5.
Since quite literally nobody seems able to agree on what the next big thing in automotive powertrains will be, BMW is hedging its bets with the next X5 and plans to offer pretty much all of them. It’s confirmed the car will be offered with petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell power. You’re nothing if not spoiled for choice.
BMW iX5 Hydrogen prototype – rear
It’s the hydrogen car that you can see as a disguised prototype in these pics, with BMW – along with Hyundai and Toyota – being one of the few manufacturers still betting big on the tech these days. In fact, the fuel cell system powering the hydrogen version – which, along with the BEV, will be badged the iX5 – has been co-developed with Toyota.
Arguably, the biggest barrier to widespread hydrogen adoption right now is the lack of infrastructure, and that’s something BMW aims to change by the time the iX5 Hydrogen launches in 2028. It’s supporting an initiative known as ‘HyMoS’ – Hydrogen Mobility at Scale – aimed at expanding the network by pooling the demand for hydrogen fuel across the car, bus and commercial vehicle sectors.
BMW iX5 Hydrogen prototype – side detail
There’s not a whole lot else to gather about the new X5 for now. Evidently, it’s gaining the same sharky, angular Neue Klasse design language as the iX3, i3 and likely everything else BMW launches for the next few years, and we’d expect the interior to echo them too, with a tilted infotainment screen and ‘Panoramic iDrive’ display spanning the bottom of the windscreen.
As for the non-hydrogen powertrains, we’d expect a range of four- and six-cylinder combustion engines – maybe even a V8, as BMW has confirmed it intends to engineer its twin-turbo unit to meet the ultra-strict incoming Euro7 emissions rules – and at least a dual-motor electric drivetrain, as well as potentially lower-end single-motor ones. In other words, speccing up your new X5 is going to be a bit more complicated than choosing your trim level and colour.
BMW iX5 Hydrogen prototype – side
Although the hydrogen version is still a few years out, we imagine we’ll see the finished X5 in some form before that – keep an eye out for more on it in the coming months.
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