Following an earlier image leak, BMW has officially taken the wraps off the all-new 5-Series Sedan. The latest model marks the sixth-generation of the venerable sports sedan. The new  BMW 5-Series Sedan will make its public debut at next month’s LA Show.

Developed under the codename ‘F10′, the BMW 5-Series softens the harder lines of the current E60 with more conventional-looking headlights and a cleaner front-end design. New European pedestrian safety standards threaten to drastically alter the design of many European cars for the worse, but BMW has managed to maintain its classic twin-kidney grille design with the new 5-Series while simultaneously reducing the length of the front overhang.

As is typical of most recent BMW redesigns, this 5-Series adds some space between the wheels by extending the wheelbase nearly 100 mm and widening the track. The car’s overall length has grown by less than 20 mm, while its height is slightly reduced and its width increased by a fraction. A set of 17-inch wheels are the smallest available with 18- and 19-inch wheels optional.

From launch the 5-Series will offer one 8-cylinder and three 6-cylinder petrol engine options. Two diesel 6-cylinder models will also be available.

The range-topping 550i model comes packing a 300 kW version of BMW’s turbocharged V8. As expected, BMW’s 225 kW turbocharged inline-6 will be available in the 535i model. A 530d model will also be available, featuring a 180 kW diesel engine, as well as an entry level 4-cylinder 520d with a 135 kW diesel engine and economy of 5.0 L/100km.

The next-generation 5-Series features an eight-speed automatic transmission with optional all-wheel drive.

The new 5 also offers a multitude of gadgets to keep occupants entertained, comfortable and safe, which includes a Parking Assistant, a collision warning and brake initiation function in conjunction with Active Cruise Control and Stop & Go, Surround View and Speed Limit Device. Further options are Lane Departure Warning, Lane Change Warning, a High-Beam Assistant, BMW Night Vision able to detect even individual persons, Park Distance Control and a reverse-view camera.

The new BMW 5-Series will arrive in South Africa in May 2010.

Erectile Dysfunction

With the 2009 Audi A6 facelift and the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class already in showrooms, attention now turns to the next-generation BMW 5-Series. A class leader since its inception, the 5-series Sedan and Touring wagon remain crucial vehicles in BMW’s lineup and with the next-gen versions now just months away from launch, speculation about their final design has been heating up.

Well the speculation can now end – at least partially – because several shots of the 2011 BMW 5-Series Sedan have turned up online, one day ahead of its official reveal.

The new 5-Series Sedan is expected to arrive early next year as a 2011 model, making its world debut at March’s 2010 Geneva Motor Show, but we can already gather a number of details from disguised prototypes seen testing around the streets of Munich. Most of the planned changes for the 2011 BMW 5-Series, however, are skin-deep.

Under the new sheet metal, BMW will continue with its new found love of turbocharging. The 4,4-litre twin-turbo V8 from the X6 and new 5-Series GT is expected to appear in a range topping model, while more turbodiesel variants are expected to join the lineup as well. BMW is also expected to launch two hybrid versions: a ‘mild’ hybrid petrol-electric version similar to the recently revealed ActiveHybrid 7 as well as a diesel-electric version.

The transmission systems will include a six-speed manual and a six-speed Steptronic semi-auto gearbox, however a new eight-speed unit from ZF is also expected to be available. New EfficientDynamics technologies will also be available, such as specially designed aerodynamic wheels and brake-energy regeneration systems.

Performance will also be improved thanks to the extensive use of lightweight materials including carbon-fibre and aluminum. The car’s construction will be a mix of an aluminum spaceframe for the front section and a traditional steel monocoque for the passenger compartment and rear. This will ensure a favorable front-to-rear weight distribution and improved handling. Up front will be an independent suspension with MacPherson struts, with a multi-link layout for the rear. High-performance models, such as the next M5, will possibly include carbon-fibre body panels to shed even more weight.

Adapted from MotorAuthority

BMW’s first-ever hybrid sedan has been officially revealed in production guise. The ActiveHybrid 7, which is based on the latest generation 7-Series limo pairs the firm’s 300 kW 4,4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine to a single electric motor for an overall output 342 kW and maximum torque of 700 N.m. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the electric motor, which is positioned between the V8 engine and the converter on the transmission, receiving its supply of energy from a lithium-ion battery.

The mild-hybrid sedan accelerates from rest to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, while returning an average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle of 9.4 l/100km, with CO2 emissions of 219 gr/km.

By comparison, the 750i that is powered excusively by the 4,4-litre twin-turbo V8 sprints from standstill to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds and has a combined fuel economy of 11.4 l/100 km. So in other words, the ActiveHybrid 7 is slightly faster and significantly more fuel efficient than its conventional sibling.

The hybrid variant of the 7-Series comes equipped with an auto start-stop feature and regenerative brakes, while the driver of the sedan can check out the degree of efficiency and the current operating status of the hybrid components through special displays in the instrument cluster and the Control Display.

To make sure that your neighbours know what you’re driving, BMW fitted the hybrid 7 with special monikers on the boot lid, the C-pillar and on the door cutouts. There are also aerodynamically optimised ten-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels, wrapped in 245/45 tyres up front and 275/40 at the rear, plus, an available Bluewater metallic exterior paintwork that’s exclusive to the model.

The ActiveHybird 7 will make its world debut at next month’s Frankfurt Show with sales following later in the year.

Adapted from CarScoop