The new BMW M5 will make its official debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September and is expected to go on sale before the end of the year
BMW's super sedan finally makes the leap to the latest generation 5 Series introduced for 2011 (F10 to purists), and BMW recently revealed all the details about its revered performance four-door. The former 5.0-litre V10 powerhouse has shrunk in engine size, cylinder count, and visual brashness, but increased its power, fuel economy and long-range comfort.
Some will bemoan the disappearance of the 10-cylinder M5 as the end of a more enthusiast-friendly M5, but the exotic car-like 560 hp from a smaller, turbocharged engine promises more power down low, its prodigious 502 lb-ft of torque available just off idle at 1,500 rpm. And importantly, more than high-powered rivals from Mercedes-Benz (E63 at 507 hp) and Cadillac (CTS-V at 556).
It's an engine similar to the one in BMW's M SUVs, the X5 M and X6 M, but in a much lower and lighter package. Light enough that BMW claims a 4.4 second 0-100 km/h time, or 0.3 seconds fleeter than the outgoing model, despite carrying more weight overall. Top track speed with the M5's M Sport package is 305 km/h, with all that power going to the rear wheels still, but with a new seven-speed double-clutch gearbox and an active differential in the rear to apportion out which tire gets hammered more this time.
Avoiding a similar hammering at the fuel pump required new answers outside the engine bay as well, taking many lessons - and technology - from the 7 Series ActiveHybrid. Automatic stop/start is now standard, as is regenerative braking and other tricks, to lower fuel consumptions by 30 per cent. At an EU test cycle average of 9.9 litres/100 km, those mileage numbers very well could be the most impressive of the new M5's audacious figures.
Scheduled to be introduced officially at the Frankfurt auto show in September, the latest M5 is expected to be on sale by the end of this year.
By the way, a particularly unlucky M5 was burned to a crisp during the Vancouver rioting. A video of two women bravely trying to protect the car while being circled by a churning mob is making the rounds online. The rioters broke the windows and created an inferno inside and up over the car's roof. What appears to be a current generation V10 M5 then became a playground, the car's alarm going off even as rioters amused themselves by jumping on and through the flames.
The Dodge Challenger challenge
The Dodge Challenger received many updates for 2011, including an impressive new base V6 and a more powerful SRT8 392 model at the top end, but questions are being asked about the future of the Brampton, Ont.-built two-door in light of tepid sales.
Last year was a dismal sales year for many Chrysler vehicles, including the Challenger, as fuel prices climbed steadily. The good news is that these changes and a general uptick in the economy has seen Challenger sales increase by 15 per cent this year, to 16,777 units, a level that wouldn't justify a future redesign, reported U.S. trade bible Automotive News this week.
The first five months of 2011 have seen the Challenger sell about half of what the Ford Mustang does, and it's well back of the 40,275 American sales of the Camaro, another Ontario-built muscle car. Both the Ford and Chevy now offer convertible versions, which the Dodge lacks.
But then the Dodge offers the new Pentastar 3.6-litre V6 with a competitive 305 hp and improved fuel economy over the less powerful outgoing V6s, as well as updated interiors, styling and suspension upgrades.
"How much life is left in the Dodge Challenger?" the article asks, before questioning if it's a convertible that's needed, or a redesign of the car's styling, interior, size of the car, or all of the above. "The tougher question: is all the above worth doing?"
There are many Canadian workers and Challenger fans who would respond with a resounding yes, although the bulk of the work at that Brampton plant was always going to be the higher volume Charger and 300 four-doors based off that same platform.
Jaguar snares concept award
The Jaguar C-X75 won the overall North American Concept of the Year award - with the angular Lotus Eterne concept four-door and the Volkswagen Bulli concept that whispered shades of the old Microbus also being recognized - at a ceremony at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit this week.
The Lotus won in the production preview category, for concepts that are announced or confirmed for production during the award's voting period, which ends soon after the end of the New York auto show. It beat out the BMW 6 Series, the Lotus Elan, and the no-longer headed to North America Ford C-Max 7-seater.
That time frame explains why the Jaguar C-X75 won the award in the concept car category, as it was only recently confirmed to be headed for production in a unique deal with Formula One engineering outfit Williams. The Jag won over the Audi Quattro, the Jaguar C-X75, the Mazda Shinari, and the Porsche 918 RSR Hybrid, although that latter supercar has also been confirmed as on its way by Porsche.
On the truck side, the compact Volkswagen Bulli triumphed for its vision of a futuristic Microbus, taking the 2011 Concept Truck title. "VW resurrects the concept Microbus from 10 years ago as a smaller-scale EV with an iPad-based control interface," wrote juror Chris Poole.
The 918 as well as the two concept winners won't hit the market for at least another two years, if not more, so it's no slam dunk that what we see here will be the final production deal. But it does suggest that there's really no such thing as a true concept car any more. With tight R&D budgets and pared-down design and engineering staffs, investing in a rolling "concept" car without elements that could make it into future production vehicles is naive.
The awards recognize the best of concept vehicles introduced at major North American auto shows, including the one in Toronto.