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At the 2023 Guangzhou Auto Show, the domestic eighth generation BMW 5-Series long wheelbase version (codenamed G68) was officially unveiled. As a replacement model, the new car has made significant changes to the appearance and interior design, offering fuel version and plug-in hybrid models, and introducing the all-electric version of the BMW i5 (codenamed G60 BEV) for the first time. It is understood that the new car will be produced at the brilliance BMW Dadong plant and will start production in January 2024. As a reference, the guide price of the current BMW 5-Series long wheelbase version is 43.65-562500 yuan.

In terms of appearance, compared with the current model, the size of the new BMW 5-Series front grille is slightly larger, and champagne gold elements are incorporated around the grille and around the front, which enhances the sense of luxury to a certain extent. The front face of the new car uses a circular bright grille style and the frame can be lit, equipped with a newly designed "double arrow" LED headlamp group, the overall recognition is extremely high. The lower surrounding area is equipped with the common aerodynamic components of the BMW M sports suit, which makes the visual effect more moving.

On the side of the body, the new BMW 5-Series outline and surface are very simple, there is no extra design, and the whole looks stable. The new car uses the same built-in door handle of the BMW i4 and is no longer integrated with the shoulder line of the body, the Huo corner of the C-column triangular window is more obvious, and the decorative lines of the window frame are expected to provide piano black or chrome plated style. the new digital "5" logo is added at the Huo corner, and the BMW i5 will produce a blue breathing light effect when charging. In the rear part, the shape of the redesigned taillight is more recognizable and integrated with L-shaped chromium plating decoration, highlighting the luxury attribute of the vehicle. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new 5 series are 5175/1900/1520mm and the wheelbase is 3105mm, which is almost the same as the previous generation. In addition, the length, width, height and wheelbase data of the pure electric version i5 are also consistent with the fuel version.

In terms of interior decoration, the new BMW 5-Series has changed greatly. The car uses a curved integrated screen composed of 12.3 inches and 14.9 inches, which matches the iDrive8.5 system, and greatly reduces the physical buttons in the original air conditioning control area, changing to touch operation and retaining the physical buttons and knobs in the function island area. In addition, the steering wheel of the new car is no longer a traditional circle, but a flat bottom, which is closer to the newly released new generation of BMW 7-Series.

In terms of power, according to the previously declared information, the new BMW 525Li is equipped with a low-power 2.0T engine (B48B20R) with a maximum power of 156kW; the new BMW 530Li is equipped with a high-power 2.0T engine (B48B20T) with a maximum power of 211kW. Compared with the previous generation of BMW 5-Series, the dynamic parameters of these two models have been significantly improved. The pure electric version i5 eDrive35L is driven by a rear single motor with a maximum power of 250kW.

Reviewing the development history of the BMW 5-Series, the BMW 5-Series was first unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1972 and has now iterated to the seventh generation, with a total production of more than 10 million vehicles worldwide so far. In the Chinese market, brilliance BMW was officially established in 2003. The fifth generation BMW 5 Series with chassis code E60 became the first domestic models of brilliance BMW, and successively launched 520i, 525i, 530i and other models. The 5-series long-wheelbase version was launched in 2006, while the current standard shaft 5-series was released in 2016 and redesigned in mid-2020, which is the only two-wheelbase model offered by BMW except the BMW 3-Series in the domestic market.

Currently on sale is the seventh-generation BMW 5-Series, which went on sale in 2018. The car is based on the CLAR platform and will be revamped in the medium term two years later. As a medium-term revamped model, the design of the car is more young and sporty, the power is still equipped with 2.0T turbocharged engine, and the plug-in hybrid model is based on 2.0T engine and plug-in hybrid system.

The BMW 5-Series sold 154000 vehicles in 2022, making it the best-performing model among BBA products, according to retail data from the Federation of passengers. In the luxury car market, the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6L are all "volume" models in the field of luxury medium and large cars, so in terms of competition, BMW 5-Series mainly competes with Mercedes-Benz E-Class (44.01-569500 yuan) and Audi A6L (priced at 42.79-656800 yuan), while competitors of pure electric i5 will also include large electric cars in new forces such as Lailai ET7 and Avita 12.

It is worth mentioning that the new generation of Mercedes-Benz E-Class long wheelbase version (V214) was also unveiled at the 2023 Guangzhou Auto Show and opened for pre-sale, with a pre-price range of 45-540000 yuan. The car also upgrades its appearance and interior, adding a 15mm wheelbase compared to the previous generation, but the overall size (5092/1880/1493/3094mm) is not as good as that of the new BMW 5-Series. In addition, the new generation of Audi A6 (or will be renamed Audi A7) is expected to be released and made in China as soon as next year.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class sales totaled 134341 vehicles from January to October 2023, 107669 for the BMW 5-Series and 142148 for the Audi A6L, according to retail data from the Federation.

With the launch of the replacement model, the competition in the field of BBA luxury medium and large cars will become more and more fierce. Of course, the competition in the auto market is becoming increasingly fierce. In the same price range, only Mercedes-Benz and Audi are the only competitors of the BMW 5-Series. More and more new forces and newcomers are stealing cake names that belong to BBA, such as Xilai ET7 and so on. As far as the BBA camp is concerned, whether it is Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz, it is the price that ultimately affects consumers, which also means that the replacement of the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class must have a strong price advantage if they want to achieve better sales results.

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