Facelifted BMW 5 Series to be launched tomorrow

BMW will launch the facelifted 5 Series for the Indian market at a function in Delhi tomorrow. It was unveiled in Europe earlier this year and features cosmetic changes on the inside and outside. it also gets a new base diesel variant and had been previewed by the German automaker on its official Indian Facebook page last week.

External changes to the 2014 model year 5 Series includes a new front grille, revised design for the headlamps and front bumpers. The standard headlights are Xenons but can be replaced by the optional LED adaptive headlights. The side profile and rear end remain the same as the previous model save for some changes to the taillights, exhaust pipes and a revised bumper.  

The German automaker is also offering revised design for the alloy wheels as well as mirror mounted indicators. The interiors get new options for the upholstery, trims as well as two new special packages called the modern line package and luxury line package in addition to the M line packages.   

In addition to the three petrol and three diesel variants already available in India, we expect that BMW will also offer a new four-cylinder diesel mill variant called the 518d. The engine produces 144PS. The top-of-the-line variants across all body styles now get a new V8 mill that produces 450PS and has been coupled with the German automakers ActiveHybrid 5 technology. All engines have been mated to the ZF eight-speed gearbox.

We expect the new line-up to be priced marginally higher than the current cars mainly due to the presence of the new ZF eight- speed gearbox. When launched, the BMW 5 Series will compete with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Audi A6 and the Jaguar XF. Once this car is launched, we expect that BMW will soon start offering the 2014 M5 as well as the 2014 Gran Turismo in the Indian market.