Tag Archives: BMW

News

BMW’s Slow-and-Steady Approach to Self-Driving Tech Is Very On-Brand

BMW has spent decades hammering home its “ultimate driving machine” mantra, and despite the industry’s headlong rush toward autonomy, the company isn’t about to abandon that identity—or its caution. While rivals scramble to one-up each other with increasingly ambitious driver-assistance features, BMW is content to treat automation as a long-distance race rather than a drag sprint. The goal, it insists, isn’t to be first. It’s to be right.

That philosophy was on full display in a recent interview with CarExpert, where Falk Schubert, an advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) engineer working on the upcoming BMW iX3, made one thing clear: BMW will not trade safety for bragging rights. Even if a competitor launches a flashier feature first, Munich isn’t interested unless the system is fully vetted.

“We want to be safe,” Schubert said. “Because the thing is, if you go too easy on features and then have one critical accident, that is not something that BMW wants and stands for.” In other words, BMW would rather arrive late than explain why a half-baked system went wrong.

For now, the company’s focus is squarely on its Highway, or Motorway, Assistant. In the new iX3, the system allows hands-free driving at speeds of up to 81 mph (130 km/h). Before you get too comfortable, though, this is still very much a Level 2 setup. Drivers must remain attentive and ready to take over at a moment’s notice. BMW isn’t interested in pretending otherwise.

Automatic lane changes are also part of the package, but—again—BMW applies the brakes on overpromising. The system will suggest a lane change, and the driver can approve it simply by looking into the side mirror. No suggestion, no maneuver. It’s assistive, not assertive.

In urban environments, the iX3’s City Assistant takes over some of the mental load. The system can detect traffic lights, bring the vehicle to a stop at red, and pull away when the light turns green. There’s a catch, of course. If the camera beneath the rearview mirror decides you’re not paying attention, the car stays put. BMW’s internal designation for this setup is “NA5,” and it embodies the company’s broader stance: the car will help, but it won’t babysit a distracted driver.

Geographically, BMW is also rolling things out conservatively. The new Highway and City Assistants will initially launch in select European markets, including Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and several neighboring countries. The U.S. is expected to receive the technology at launch next summer, with wider availability planned later. BMW reportedly intends to keep the iX3 in production until late 2034, giving it plenty of runway to refine and expand its driver-assistance suite.

In an era where autonomy hype often outpaces reality, BMW’s approach may seem restrained—almost stubbornly so. But for a brand that still wants drivers to feel engaged rather than replaced, slow and careful might just be the most BMW move of all.

Source: CarExpert

News

Next-Gen BMW X5 (G65) Spotted Near HQ, Signals a Big Neue Klasse Shift

BMW isn’t exactly being subtle about what comes next. A heavily camouflaged prototype of the fifth-generation BMW X5, internal code G65, has been spotted testing near Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey—just minutes from BMW’s North American headquarters. Given how busy BMW’s test fleet has been lately, the timing feels deliberate. In the past few days alone, spy photographers have caught everything from an electric M3 charging at the Nürburgring to this next-gen X5 circulating close to home base.

Even beneath the swirled camouflage, the G65 X5’s design direction is clear. The front end unmistakably channels BMW’s Neue Klasse design language, closely mirroring what we’ve already seen on the upcoming iX3. It’s a cleaner, more architectural look, and—depending on your tolerance for recent BMW styling—a welcome reset.

The kidney grille is a key tell. The G65 adopts a retro-inspired, vertical kidney design tailored specifically for SUVs. BMW has already confirmed that horizontal kidney treatments will be reserved for lower, non-SUV models like the upcoming i3 sedan, where the grille and headlights visually merge in a way that recalls the Vision Neue Klasse concept. Larger vehicles such as the X5, X7, and 7 Series will keep more pronounced grille elements, though with far more restraint than today’s designs.

From the side, the G65 doesn’t look revolutionary at first glance—but the details tell a different story. Traditional door handles are gone. In their place are small winglet-style tabs integrated into the beltline, similar to what BMW previewed on the Skytop and Speedtop concepts. The implication is hard to miss: electrically operated doors.

It’s a subtle change, but an important one. This approach fits neatly with BMW’s push for smoother surfacing and better aerodynamics, and it shows how deeply Neue Klasse philosophy is influencing even BMW’s most mainstream, high-volume SUVs.

Out back, the camouflage offers a clearer look at the lighting signature. The taillights are wider and nearly meet at the center of the tailgate, interrupted only by a revised BMW roundel similar to the one debuting on the iX3. At the outer edges, the lights feature inverted V-shaped elements that evoke mountain ridgelines—an on-the-nose but effective SUV motif. A sporty roof spoiler with vertical fins peeks out above, hinting at a more performance-oriented stance across the lineup.

There’s also a black horizontal strip running across the tailgate, which is likely doing some visual misdirection. All signs point to BMW ditching the X5’s split-opening rear hatch for the G65, and this trim piece may be helping disguise that change on test mules.

Production of the G65 X5 isn’t scheduled to begin until October 2026, with a full reveal expected sometime in spring or summer of that year. When it arrives, it will be one of the most technically diverse vehicles BMW has ever built. For the first time, the X5 will be offered with five different drivetrains:

  • Gasoline
  • Diesel
  • Plug-in hybrid
  • Battery-electric (iX5)
  • Hydrogen fuel cell (iX5 Hydrogen)

The hydrogen variant, co-developed with Toyota, has already been teased by BMW and is expected to reach customers around 2028. It may wear the name iX5 60H xDrive, though that designation hasn’t been officially confirmed.

BMW M will also have a major presence in the G65 lineup. The full-fat X5 M is expected to retain its V-8 engine—at least in non-EU markets—while an all-electric X5 M remains in development for later in the decade.

On the M Performance side, three variants are rumored to be in the pipeline:

  • X5 M60e (plug-in hybrid)
  • X5 M60 (gasoline V-8)
  • iX5 M70 xDrive (fully electric)

Before the performance models arrive, BMW will roll out the G65 with more familiar offerings, including 40 xDrive gasoline and 40d xDrive diesel variants when production begins in October 2026. The plug-in hybrid is expected to follow shortly after.

If this prototype is any indication, the next-generation X5 won’t just be an evolution of BMW’s bestselling SUV—it’ll be a rolling manifesto for where the brand is headed next.

Source: BMW Blog; Photo: Greg Saperstein

News

BMW May Bring Back the Range Extender—And China Might Be the Reason Why

BMW, a company that once swore off the range extender after the quirky i3 REx, might be preparing for a comeback tour. Early reports hinted that the next-generation X5 could get a gasoline-powered generator, and now Bloomberg is echoing the same message—BMW is actively evaluating range-extender variants for upper-tier models like the X5 and 7 Series, according to insiders familiar with the brand’s long-term planning.

If you’re wondering why BMW would dust off a technology it abandoned years ago, the answer comes down to a single word: China.

China’s EREV Surge Is Too Big to Ignore

BMW’s grip on the Chinese market isn’t what it once was, but the region is still the automaker’s most important. In 2024, nearly one-third of all BMW Group sales—29.2%—went to China, outpacing the U.S. and Germany combined. And unlike Europe and North America, China has developed a serious taste for extended-range EVs (EREVs).

According to data from the China Passenger Car Association, EREV sales jumped almost 50% in the first five months of 2025 alone. Homegrown brands like BYD (with the Yangwang U8), Aito’s M9, and Li Auto’s runaway-success L9 are dominating the segment. Their formula is simple: electric driving for everyday use, plus a compact, fuel-sipping generator for when the battery runs dry.

Sound familiar? That’s essentially the same recipe BMW cooked up with the i3 REx—just scaled up for massive luxury SUVs.

Why BMW Might Be Revisiting the Idea

The pitch makes sense: a next-gen X5 or 7 Series that delivers pure EV performance most of the time, but with a compact engine humming along at a constant rpm to juice the battery on long highway runs. No wheel-driving from the engine, no hybrid complexity—just a generator smoothing out the road-trip anxiety that comes with big EVs and big distances.

And it’s not just China showing interest. In the U.S., range-extender thinking is quietly gaining traction in the heavy-duty segment. Ram will use a generator-supported electric powertrain in its upcoming Ramcharger, and the reborn Volkswagen Scout lineup is expected to offer something similar. It’s a way to keep towing capability and road-trip freedom without going back to a full gas-powered drivetrain.

Europe throws another wrinkle into the mix. Regulators are still tweaking what the 2035 combustion-engine ban will and won’t allow. Depending on how “emission-neutral” rules evolve, future EREVs might skate through as compliant, creating yet another reason for BMW to keep its options open.

Inside the Engineering Playbook

Should BMW pull the trigger, the likely blueprint remains close to the i3’s:

  • The engine never drives the wheels.
  • It runs at an optimal, fixed rpm to maximize efficiency.
  • It acts purely as a generator, feeding electricity back into the pack.

BMW already has a suite of compact, highly efficient gasoline engines ready to adapt for generator duty. Combined with the company’s EV-first platforms and existing battery know-how, development time wouldn’t be as long as it was a decade ago.

But Don’t Get Too Excited Yet

Officially, BMW isn’t confirming anything. When Bloomberg reached out, a company spokesperson stuck to the corporate script: BMW is “continuously analyzing usage patterns, customer needs, and market developments” and “reviewing the market potential of various technologies.”

Behind the scenes, the story is even murkier. Sources tell us no range-extender programs have been formally approved. Nothing is locked in. Not yet.

But the signals are getting harder to miss. China’s appetite for EREVs is exploding. U.S. buyers are warming to generator-backed electric trucks and SUVs. Europe may soon carve out regulatory breathing room for the format. And BMW has two large, spacious platforms—the X5 and 7 Series—that could take the hardware without compromise.

If the range extender is coming back from the dead, BMW might be the brand bold enough to resurrect it.

Source: Automotive News