BMW 5-Series Gains New 2.0-Liter Four-Cylinder Turbo Engines, 5-Series GT gets the M Sport Treatment

There’s a lot going on in Munich today as BMW has unleashed details on its new model year portfolio. Following the news on the 6-Series, more of which you can read in our previous post here, we bring you the updates to the 5-Series range that includes the four-door sedan, the Touring (station wagon) and the Gran Turismo liftback.

We’ll begin with the changes to the engine lineup of the 5-Series saloon and Touring models. Starting from this fall, European buyers will be able to order the 5-Series with BMW’s brand-new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine, which is offered in two forms producing 184HP and 270Nm (199 lb-ft) in the 520i and 245HP and 350Nm (258 lb-ft) in the 528i.

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SCOOP: BMW Attempts to Spiff up 5-Series GT with M Sport Package

What do you do to improve the image of a vehicle that looks like the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo? Well, the painful answer to that question would be to head back to the drawing board. However, given that this is not an option for a model launched less than two years ago, BMW thought of spicing it up with the always welcome M Sports package.

Spied here in Germany, the prototype model of the 5-Series GT with the M Sports treatment gains new, lower front and rear bumpers, deeper side skirts and larger alloy wheels in a different design.

As is the case with all M Sports Packages, we can expect minor tweaks in the interior with a three-spoke steering wheel, sports seats, aluminum pedals and door sills, plus bespoke upholstery and headlining.

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BMW 5-Series F10 gets the Black Bison Makeover from Wald International

We knew it wouldn’t be long before Wald International, one of Japan’s most well-known styling houses, released its program for the latest BMW 5-Series sedan, codenamed F10.

The Japanese tuner’s Black Edition Sports Line BMW 5-Series comes with an assortment of aero body pieces made from fiberglass-reinforced plastic.

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Hail Fail: BMW 5-Series Owner Tries to Save His Car by Dressing it Up…

Unless you are able drive into to an enclosed garage nearby, there’s not really much you can do to protect your car -or anything else in danger for that matter- if you are caught out in a severe hail storm. However, this doesn’t mean that some people won’t try to prevent the inevitable like this owner of a previous generation BMW 5-Series sedan.

Said to be a Croatian tourist on a visit to Slovenia, the owner of the Bimmer attempted to save the body of his beloved car by covering it up with whatever he could find. In this case, the only available items were some clothes he had in a plastic bag. Somehow, it doesn't seem like such a great idea... Watch the clip right after the break.

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BMW Showcases Fleet of Emergency Vehicles at RETTmobil 2011

Following in the footsteps of Mercedes that dressed up the SLS AMG as an emergency medical vehicle, BMW unveiled its very own proposals at the RETTmobil, the leading European trade for emergency services and mobility, held in Fulda, Germany (May 11-13).

BMW has a more down-to-earth approach to the show as its emergency models are based on mainstream vehicles that are more suitable for this line of work than the fast, but unpractical, SLS AMG. We're talking about the BMW 3-Series/5-Series Touring models and the X3/X6 SUVs, although the latter is not new, having premiered at the same show in 2008.

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New Video Footage of 2012 BMW M5 Testing in the South of France

The hype surrounding the upcoming M5 continues with a new video released by BMW showing the Bavarian firm’s high-performance sedan being tested at the company's Miramas proving grounds in the south of France. Given that the M5 is scheduled to be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September, these are probably the final rounds of testing before production begins. Read more »

BMW’s “The Ultimate Driving Machine” Slogan Returns in Ferrari-Emulating Commercial

Back in 1997, Ferrari and Shell released a stunning commercial shot in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, featuring a Formula 1 car being refueled by a Shell airplane. Fast forward to 2011 and BMW USA has remade the famous ad, albeit in a slightly different manner. Read more »

Shanghai Auto Show: New BMW M5 and 5-Series Plug-in Hybrid Concepts

At this week’s 2011 Shanghai Auto Show in China, BMW rolled out two concept versions of the current F10 5-Series, the M5 sport sedan and the LWB Plug-in Hybrid, both of which will enter production.

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BMW Group Smashes Monthly Sales Record in March with More than 165,000 Units

The BMW Group is on track to reach new records in 2011 with the company posting its strongest monthly sales ever in March. The Bavarian automaker delivered a total of 165,842 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles in the past month, not only significantly beating the figure for March 2010 (141,717 units / +17%) but also the previous sales high of 152,721 vehicles recorded in December 2007. March sales rose in Europe by 7.8% to 93,540 vehicles, in Asia by a whopping 52% to 35,048 units, as well as in the Americas by 18.6% to 32,020 vehicles.

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From China for China: BMW Teams up with Brilliance to Create 5-Series Plug-in Hybrid Sedan

BMW has teamed up with joint venture partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. to develop a new plug-in hybrid model based on the long wheelbase version of the local market 5 Series Sedan, which is available exclusively in China. The prototype model will receive its world premiere at the Auto Shanghai 2011 later this month.

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Prior Design Working on New Tune for BMW 5-Series F10

While BMW works on the production version of the new V8-powered M5 sports saloon, tuners across Europe continue to roll out packages for the standard versions of the F10 5-Series. This one comes from Germany and Prior Design, which recently teased its tuning kit for the new 6-Series Coupe and Convertible models as well.

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U-SPY: Carscoop Reader Snags a Fleet of BMW Prototypes in Austria

The BMW Group is quite busy these days as the Bavarian automaker is developing a raft of new models, ranging from the upcoming Megacity electric-vehicle and the MINI Coupe and Roadster, to the next generation of the 3-Series and the production version of the Vision ED concept sports car.

Carscoop reader Andras from Hungary was vacationing in Obertauern, Austria when he spotted this convoy of BMWs comprising of both masked prototypes and normal production cars, including a sedan in full body cladding. Check out Andras' photos and story after the jump.

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SCOOP: 2012 BMW 5-Series Hybrid Spied on the Roads of Munich

It's no secret that BMW is preparing a hybrid version of its latest generation [F10] 5-Series sedan as the Bavarian automaker teased the model at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show with the Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid study. And even though the prototype model seen in our latest spy pictures carries the 535i badge, the "Hybrid Test Vehicle" label on the boot pretty much explains everything.

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1985 BMW 557i with Corvette V8 Heart Transplant

Owning a mint condition E28 BMW 5 Series would be a dream come true for most bimmer fans. However, the owner of this Euro-spec 1985 528i was probably not impressed by the stock 2.8-liter powerplant’s 184-ponies, so he performed an engine swap.

If it was up to me and money wasn't an object, I would've probably tried to fit a V12, but the 1999 Chevy LS1 V8 isn’t a bad fit either - that is, if you really feel the need to hear an American V8 burbling under the hood of a vintage German sedan.

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AC Schnitzer Tunes the F11 BMW 5-Series Touring [with Video]

AC Schnitzer has released a comprehensive tuning program for the new F11 BMW 5-series consisting of power upgrades for all diesel engines, suspension tweaks, aerodynamic components and interior bits.

The German firm's engineers started with the 2.0-liter four-pot found on the 520d, raising output to 218 hp, and continued with the more noble 525d, which has a 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine. In this case peak output was boosted to 245 hp, same as the stock 530d. After AC Schnitzer's tune, the latter is now rated at 286 hp, while the range-topping 535d churns out an impressive 360 hp.

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Kelleners Sport Spices Up the F10 BMW 535i

Fans of the BMW 5-Series were a little disappointed with the new F10, as it shed some of its sportier genes in favor of a more luxurious character. Kelleners Sport intends to change this, by offering a host of exterior and interior appointments, plus performance upgrades for the 535i. It will debut at this month's Essen Motor Show.

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