BMW’s S68 twin-turbo V-8 was always living on borrowed time. Not because it wasn’t good—it’s spectacular—but because Europe’s regulators have been circling it like wolves around a bratwurst. Now the bite has finally landed. Beginning next month, BMW will detune the S68 in Europe to meet upcoming Euro 7 emissions rules, slicing 40 horsepower from the gasoline side of the powertrain in both the M5 and XM Label—and doing it two years before the regulations even take effect.
Yes, the axe falls early.
In pure BMW fashion, though, Munich refuses to let its flagship Ms look weak on paper. To offset the combustion-engine haircut, BMW is turning up the voltage. The electric motor in the M5 is upgraded so that the total system output remains 717 horsepower, exactly where it was before. The XM Label does the same trick, holding the line at 737 horsepower by pairing a slightly weaker V-8 with a stronger electric motor.
The result is a numbers game that looks unchanged on a spec sheet—but one that tells a more complicated story underneath.
Europe Loses 40 Horses. America Doesn’t.
This change applies to all M5s and XM Labels sold in the European Union’s 27 member states, plus any other markets that follow EU emissions rules. But if you’re buying one in the United States, you can breathe easy—and deeply.
BMW spokesperson Jay Hanson confirmed that U.S.-market M5s and XM Labels will continue to use the full-power S68, with no detuning required. In other words, America gets the uncorked V-8 while Europe gets the eco-friendly version with an electrified crutch.
That’s not exactly new in the modern car world—but it’s still a bitter pill for European enthusiasts, especially when the M5 is supposed to be BMW’s unapologetic performance flagship.
The S68 Isn’t Going Anywhere
Despite the emissions squeeze, BMW isn’t walking away from its V-8 anytime soon. The S68 is slated to power a whole lineup of future M and M Performance models, including:
- The next-gen X5 M Performance (G65)
- The full X5 M (G95)
- The X7 (G67)
- And the next X6 in both G66 M Performance and G96 M forms
Even BMW ALPINA is expected to stick with the V-8 for the return of the B7 and an XB7 successor, though those models will reportedly come with hybrid and inline-six variants as well. An electric ALPINA is also on the horizon—which feels both inevitable and faintly tragic.
Meanwhile, the current M5 (G90 sedan and G99 wagon) will keep the S68 when its mid-cycle update arrives. The facelifted models have already been caught testing, though their official debut isn’t expected until late spring next year, ahead of production starting in July 2027.
More Than Just a Power Cut
BMW isn’t simply turning down the boost and calling it a day. European-market M5s and XM Labels are also switching to the Miller combustion cycle, a strategy that improves efficiency and lowers emissions by tweaking how the engine handles intake and compression. On top of that, BMW is upgrading the exhaust aftertreatment system and recalibrating engine management software.
The company insists the result is “continued dynamic performance at the highest level,” thanks to the stronger electric motor filling in for the lost V-8 output.
Maybe. But we all know what that really means.
Hybrids are fantastic at masking what’s been taken away—until you start pushing the car hard, again and again, when heat, weight, and battery limitations start to matter. The M5 is already a two-and-a-half-ton missile. Adding more electric hardware to compensate for a neutered engine only makes it heavier.
And if given the choice, most buyers would almost certainly take the 40 horsepower back instead of the electrons.
As someone who lives in Europe, I know I would. Better yet, ditch the plug-in hybrid altogether and let the V-8 breathe freely again. It would shed weight, restore character, and make the M5 feel like an M5 instead of a regulatory workaround.
Of course, the EU wouldn’t be thrilled about that.
Source: BMWBlog