Fresh off the assembly line, BMW celebrated the official start of production on its first electric 5 series sedan, the BMW i5, on Friday.
The time has finally come. BMW has been teasing an electric 5 series sedan for over six years now.
At BMW’s annual conference in March, CEO Oliver Zipse previewed the new i5, claiming it will give the automaker a “unique selling point.”
The BWW i5 will take the traditional spot in the automaker’s sedan portfolio between the 3 series and the larger 7 series. As the brand’s second-best-selling vehicle (behind the 3 series), the 5 series has played a vital role in BMW’s success over the years.
Now, the automaker is bringing it into a new, electric era. In late May, BMW officially unveiled the i5 as a slightly larger, all-electric sedan than its previous generation.
The electric 5 series comes loaded with BMW’s latest tech and software, including the automaker’s latest-gen OS 8.5 (which allows you to play video games while charging). You can see the full i5 details here.
BMW begins i5 electric sedan production
About two months later, BMW announced it had begun i5 production at its largest vehicle production site in Europe, BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, Germany.
Milan Nedeljković, a member of the Board of Management of BMW AG overseeing production, commented on the milestone, saying:
The BMW i5 and our plant in Dingolfing are perfect examples of how the BMW Group is transforming itself for e-mobility and developing our plants on the road to the BMW iFACTORY.
The i5 will be the third all-electric model made at the plant, alongside the BMW iX and BMW i7. BMW expects EV production share to expand to over 40% next year.
Last year, over 280,000 vehicles came off the assembly line at Dingolfing; BMW sees this number rising to “well over 300,000” with the start of i5 production.
Historically, about two-thirds of the vehicles built at the plant are BMW 5 series models, so the i5 will play an integral role in the plant’s growth over the next few years.
The BMW i5 will come in two all-electric variants, including the eDrive40 and the M60 performance version. The 2024 i5 eDrive40 starts at $66,800 for 335 hp and a 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 secs. Meanwhile, the performance M60 includes 590 hp to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and starts at $84,100.
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