The 5 Series debuted in Korea on October 5, earlier than in any other country. It is the first completely redesigned version in six years.
BMW chose Korea as the first country for the launch, which shows “how important the 5 Series is to our customers in Korea,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, head of BMW Group Design, during a media event in Incheon.
A total of 21,000 5 Series vehicles were sold in Korea last year, making it the largest market for the series.
In May 2020, BMW will unveil the partially redesigned 5 Series in Korea for the first time in any country. Last year, it opened an M Performance Garage, a service center dedicated to its high-performance M models, in central Seoul for the first time. The same center is now available in other countries.
The car itself has grown in size, increasing in length by 95 millimeters (3.7 inches) and in height by 35 millimeters compared to the previous version. The wheelbase, the distance between the front and rear wheels, has increased by 20 millimeters.
The 5 Series also features the Iconic Glow kidney grille with LED lighting for nighttime safety. The grille was first used on the current 7 Series.
Seats, dashboards, door panels and steering wheel are made from vegan materials for the first time in the history of the 5 Series.
Powered by Samsung SDI’s 81.2 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, the i5 can travel 238 miles (384 kilometers) on a single charge, according to the Environment Ministry. It can generate up to 340 horsepower and 40.8 pound-feet of torque.
The i5 M60 xDrive, the most powerful model in the lineup, has two electric motors that produce a maximum of 601 horsepower.
It takes just 3.8 seconds from zero to 100 kilometers per hour and can travel 361 kilometers on a single charge.
BMW Korea has also been at the forefront of improving the company’s environment and infrastructure for EVs.
It recently announced that it will install 1,000 more EV chargers across Korea to strengthen the country’s EV infrastructure for greener roads. As part of the Charging Next project, the chargers will be installed in various public places, such as discount stores, so that all EV owners, whether they own BMWs or not, can access them.
BMW currently has around 920 chargers in the country and plans to increase this to 1,100 by the end of this year. This will bring the company’s total number of chargers to 2,100, about half of the chargers offered by all car brands.
“BMW will lead the way in helping Koreans enjoy their EV lives,” said Kim Nam-kyun, manager of BMW’s Incheon charging station.
