Spied! New BMW M5 Reveals its Lower Front Bumper

The upcoming BMW M5 has been spotted by our spy photographer getting put through its paces at the Nürburgring.

This particular prototype has shed much of its camouflage, and its lower front fascia is now exposed for everyone to see, revealing large air intakes. A few other key design features distinguish this prototype as an M5 such as the quad exhaust, the M-specific side mirror design and, although it’s hard to see because of the camouflaged rear bumper, a unique rear diffuser. Earlier this year, we spied an M5 prototype cruising on a California freeway, but it was a bit more covered up.

Expected to be the most powerful M5 to date, BMW’s next super sedan will likely feature the same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 found on the outgoing car. However, this time around, the engine is rumored to deliver upwards of 600 hp, making it more powerful than the base M5 of the previous generation and possibly even more so than the Competition package-equipped variant. Although a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission are currently offered in some M cars, the next M5 may be the first non-crossover to wear an M badge and be available exclusively with an automatic gearbox. Last year, we reported that the next-generation M5 and M6 won’t be available with manual transmissions. Earlier this year, BMW M’s sales and marketing boss suggested that the future is bleak for the manual and dual-clutch gearbox.

The next M5 is also expected to be the first all-wheel-drive sedan for BMW’s performance division, but the system will likely be modified similar to its key rival, the Mercedes-AMG E63 S, which has a drift mode and can send all of its power exclusively to the rear wheels when the right mode is selected.

Photo Source: CarPix

 

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