The BMW 5-Series GT - Due to launch at Frankfurt in September
The Germans do love a niche or two. Audi seems to be trying to cover everything from a runaround to a supercar, and Mercedes has gone as far as to build an S-Class people carrier (the R-Class) and a super-luxo-barge (Maybach). But BMW play the game as well – the BMW X6 being a good case in point.
And now BMW is playing at ‘Lifestyle’ cars with the announcement today of the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo concept. It doesn’t really fit in to anything comparable in the BMW range, but I suppose the best comparison is that it looks a bit like a BMW X6 that’s been lowered and stretched.
Due to show at Franfurt in September, before going on sale in October, BMW are aiming to sell twice as many of these cars as they do of the X6 – at least in the UK – although the principal market will be the US.
It’s hard to get scale from an image or a video, but the 5-Series GT is only 3 inches shorter than a 7-Series, so a little car it ain’t! But despite its size it is, like the X6, a pure 4-seater but with a great deal of space and comfort provided by its generous dimensions.
The 5-Series GT will be powered, initially, by a choice of 3.0 litre twin-turbo petrol or diesel engines plus the 4.4 V8. Expect to see all-wheel drive versions and a hybrid in time, but initially the car will come as a RWD only.
Be interesting to see just how well this sells.
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