• Introduction of the dual motor, all-wheel-drive BMW i5 xDrive40.
•Announcement of 2025 BMW 550e xDrive PHEV.
•Highway Assistant including Active Lane Change with eye activation available on more models.
•Upgraded smartphone integration for vehicles with BMW iDrive 9.
•Extended functionality for the My BMW app.
BMW's electrification story continues with the addition of the dual motor, all-wheel-drive BMW i5 xDrive40 for model year 2025. The innovative Highway Assistant will bring increased comfort levels over longer journeys to a wider range of BMW vehicles. The first quarter of 2024 will also see the arrival of attractive new features in digital services, such as easier use of the Apple voice assistant Siri in vehicles with BMW Operating System 9, and the optimized display of ratings for charging stations for fully electric and plug-in hybrid BMW models. The steady expansion of the range of functions for the My BMW App also continues.
BMW i5 xDrive40: third fully electric variant of the iconic 5 Series.
A third fully electric variant will be added to the new BMW 5 Series lineup in March 2024. The new BMW i5 xDrive40 uses two highly integrated fifth-generation electric drive units, one at the front axle and one at the rear axle, which together develop a total system output of up to 389 hp and peak torque of 435 lb-ft. Underpinned by the electric all-wheel drive system, the BMW i5 xDrive40 accelerates from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, on to a top speed of 130 mph.
The HV battery under the floor of the latest fully electric 5 Series model delivers 84.3 kWh of usable energy. The i5 xDrive40's Combined Charging Unit enables AC charging at a rate of 11 kW, but when connected to a DC fast charger, the charging rate of up to 205 kW means the battery can be topped up from 10% to 80% in as little as 30 minutes.
The standard Plug & Charge Multi Contract function enables automatic payment from the vehicle at public charging points. Customers can store up to five individual Plug & Charge-enabled accounts from different providers in the vehicle's iDrive system. As soon as the vehicle is connected to the charging point, the data necessary for account access and payment is sent to the vehicle via the charging cable. The authentication required to initiate charging and payment takes place automatically at any of the stored charging locations.
Production of the 2025 BMW i5 xDrive40 begins in March, and it will arrive in the US with a base MSRP of $70,100 plus $995 destination and handling.
Highway Assistant: innovative Level 2 functionality for more models.
Highway Assistant, part of the Driving Assistance Professional Package optional on iX, 5 Series, 7 Series, X5 and X6 (except M Competition models), X7, and standard on XM, enables attentive hands-free driving at speeds up to 85 mph where conditions and speed limits allow. With the introduction of the 2024 5 Series, Highway Assistant was further enhanced with Active Lane Change with eye activation. This first-of-its-kind system will be available on certain additional BMW models starting with March 2024 production.
With Active Lane Change with eye activation, the vehicle suggests a lane change, and the driver can confirm the lane change simply by looking in the corresponding outside rearview mirror. The Active Lane Change performs the necessary steering movements automatically. It is no longer necessary to confirm the lane change with the turn signal. This seamless interaction between the driver and the Active Lane Change provides a level of comfort and safety unique in the automotive sector.
Active Lane Change with eye activation will be added to the Highway Assistant on iX models starting with March 2024 production, and X5, X6 (except X5 and X6 M Competition models), and X7 starting with April 2024 production.
Electrification complete: the 2025 BMW 550e xDrive PHEV.
With the introduction of the 2025 BMW 550e xDrive, the all-new 5 Series will be available with the full range of drive systems: internal combustion, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric. The 550e xDrive pairs a 3-liter TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder engine with a fifth-generation electric motor integrated into the 8-speed Steptronic transmission to produce a total system output of 483 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Traction is managed by BMW's intelligent all-wheel-drive system, resulting in an expected 0-60 time of about 4.0 seconds. Maximum speed is electronically limited to 155 mph, or 87 mph in electric mode.
Additional details including pricing and electric range will be announced closer to the start of production in July 2024.
New digital services, My BMW App with additional functions.
Among the digital services available for the first time from spring 2024 is the extended smartphone integration for vehicles equipped with BMW Operating System 9. This enables the Siri voice assistant for the Apple iPhone to be activated directly by voice command, without needing to also press the push-to-talk button on the steering wheel. Elsewhere, the cloud-based navigation system BMW Maps now boasts improved display of information on charging stations. The available images and ratings are shown both in the list of search results and in the detailed display. The charging station ratings will now be shown clearly on a scale of zero to five stars.
As a universal digital interface for data exchange between customer and vehicle, the My BMW App offers an ever-expanding number of functions. From spring 2024, Comfort Access with the BMW Digital Key Plus will be integrated into the My BMW App in vehicles equipped with BMW Operating System 8, 8.5 or 9. In addition, the map view for selecting navigation destinations imported into the vehicle has been newly designed. This also improves the search function and the visibility of the most relevant content. Map and routing functions will in future be proposed based on current vehicle or user contexts.
Finally, the new E-mobility Analysis function will also be added to the My Trips menu item in the My BMW App. Based on the customer's driving behavior, this function proposes the BMW model with all-electric drive system most suited to them. These recommendations are intended to help spark interest among users of combustion-engined vehicles in switching to an electric vehicle.
Photo credit: BMW posted on conceptcarz.com
