The Bavarian automaker, BMW, is working hard in order to get the next generation of everyone’s favorite high-performance sports sedan, the M5,ready for an unveiling sometime late in 2011. We have just learned a few new details about the future four door, some very interesting ones at that.
First, the F10 BMW M5 will incorporate an power regeneration unit similar to the KERS system found in the Formula 1 race cars that will help the to improve fuel economy as well as give the future M car an electric boost that the driver can request with the touch of a button, just like the F1 car. Similar to GM displacement on demand system, the BMW’s power plant will also be able to shut down a number of cylinders while driving at a relaxed pace around town and use the electric motor for a slight assist.
The next big story is the power plant. The 2011 M5 will feature a design similar to the twin-scroll turbocharged V8 engine found in the X5M/X6M. This is the forward thinking V8 that places the compressors inside the V, making for a much more compact layout for the engine. The big new is that in order to create a V10, two more cylinders must be grafted onto the existing block. The BMW built engines will then be mated to either a dual-clutch gearbox (DCT) or a more advanced sequential manual gearbox (SMG), but no matter how they are shifted, there will be 8 gears for each. The new M5 is shaping up to be an even more powerful replacement for the already impressive 500+ HP M5.