BMW revealed the concept X5 eDrive at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September last year, and then at the New York Auto Show in April this year. The hybrid SUV has been confirmed to enter production at BMW's Spartanburg plant in the United States. A launch is expected either late this year or early next year.
Spies in China have snapped the production ready X5 eDrive without any camouflage whatsoever. At the front, the SUV is seen wearing a modified bumper with redesigned air intakes, that probably improve the aerodynamics of the car. An image of the rear shows the 'eDrive' badge on the bootlid.
The concept shown at Frankfurt and New York had its power socket located on the driver side front fender, and upon closer inspection, so does the prototype seen here.
Power for the eDrive will come from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with BMW's TwinPower Turbo technology. The engine develops 245 hp and is assisted by a 95 hp electric motor for a combined output of 340 hp. This allows for a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 7 seconds.
The X5 eDrive can run on battery power alone for up to 30 km with speeds of up to 120 km/h. Under EU test conditions, the eDrive is capable of achieving 26.31 km/l.
It is unlikely for BMW to launch the X5 eDrive in India in the immediate future given that a market for luxury hybrid SUVs doesn't exist in the country. However the locally assembled X5 diesel launched last month has started off well with a waiting period of 3 months.
[Spy images from Auto Ifeng]
