BMW i5 all set for 2023 debut

Electric version of new 5 Series saloon is now just months away from UK showrooms

- FELIX PAGE

It's nearly time for the wraps to come off BMW's long-awaited electric 15 Series, which has completed the final stages of endurance testing in harsh environments in readiness to go on sale later this year.

The new BMW i5 will join the iX1, i4 and i7 in Munich's swiftly expanding range of EVs. The model was confirmed for a 2023 launch in January, but only now has the firm released images of the Mercedes-Benz EQE rival undergoing a hardcore testing programme on ice, snow and rough roads in northern Sweden.

In a year-long test phase, the i5 "repeatedly demonstrated both the stability of its electric powertrain and its dynamic performance qualities", and performed "at least as proficiently as any conventionally powered model on ice and snow", said BMW.