BMW readies new M5 as hardcore plug-in hybrid

Saloon tolaunch with 7O8bhp and 43-mile EV range; estate to follow

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BMW is just months away from launching the totally reinvented M5, which will add plug-in hybrid power for the first time and is tipped to be one of the German firm's most powerful road cars yet.

Due on sale in the summer, the seventh iteration of the M5 will be one of the final combustion-engined cars from BMW's M division. The performance arm has not yet announced an end date on its ICE line-up, but it will put its badge on a pure-electric sports saloon based on the next-generation 3 Series in 2026 and is anticipated to transition to an all-EV line-up in the coming years as its parent company fleshes out the new Neue Klasse line of electric-only models.

The new M5 is said to be 36mm longer and 70mm wider than today's car, and it will be differentiated from the regular 5 Series by its markedly lower suspension, wider tyres (reportedly 285-section at the front and 295 at the rear) and aggressive styling. The bodywork will incorporate downforce-boosting measures including a chunkier roof spoiler and beefy diffuser, while its arches will be swollen to accommodate its wider track. Large cross-drilled brake discs are likely to be housed behind bespoke performance alloy wheels.

Its powertrain will be based on that used by the XM SUV, the first bespoke M car since the 1978 M1 supercar, pairing the twin-turbo 4.4-litre 'S68' V8 with an electric motor housed in the eight-speed gearbox to give a maximum output far above that of even the hottest version of today's super-saloon.

The top-rung Label Red version of the XM is the most powerful road-going M car yet, with 577bhp and 553lb ft supplied by the petrol motor alone, boosted by 194bhp and 207lb ft from the electric motor to give totals of 738bhp and 738lb ft-well clear of today's track-focused M5 CS.