The 5-Series Gran Turismo is part limousine, part sports car and part 4WD, reflecting a trend by BMW to create niches.
BMW says it will continue to explore new vehicle segment niches to grow sales and boost profits.
The German car maker stated its intention at the international launch of its new 5-Series Gran Turismo, which it claims is the world’s first model to combine the characteristics of a luxury sedan, sporty soft-roader and classic GT.
The BMW GT will be the range-topping variant (not including the inevitable new BMW M5) of the next-generation 5-Series sedan that will be released in 2010. Pricing will start from about $140-150,000 when the GT goes on sale in Australia in March 2010.
“We have carried out research and our segment prognosis told us that the upper middle [demographic] segment is going to grow,” says BMW’s 5-Series GT program and launch manager, Birgit Wildhuber. “And the main driver of this growth is going to be from new concepts. Only marginal growth will come from traditional [vehicle] concepts.
“It is important to contribute to the [company’s] profit while at the same time extending the model range, offering a vehicle we haven’t offered to people before - extending our target group into more modern segments.”
The GT rolls into European showrooms in October with no obvious rival, though Audi recently unveiled the A5 Sportback that partially follows the new BMW in philosophy.
BMW’s most recent niche vehicle, the coupe-style X6 four-wheel-drive, has already proven successful. The company has sold nearly 27,000 X6s globally so far in 2009 alone, while the X6 currently outsells the rival Porsche Cayenne in Australia.
The BMW 5-Series GT uses a modified 7-Series platform (and its 3070mm wheelbase is identical to the limo’s), with front suspension from the 7-Series though rear suspension mixing parts from both the 7 and the next-generation 5-Series.
At 4998mm, the GT is just 74mm shorter than a 7-Series and identical in width, but much higher (plus 80mm) with its sloping roofline reminiscent of the X6.
The GT introduces a number of firsts for BMW.
It’s the company’s first vehicle to feature daytime running lights with LEDs, the first BMW with frameless windows that’s not a coupe or convertible, and is the world’s first vehicle to offer a “semi command” seating position.
BMW says the elevated seating position places driver and occupants higher than in a 7-Series but lower than in an X6.
“The semi command position offers superior visibility and a superior driving feel,” says Wildhuber. “We call it the perfect entry. When you get into the car you don’t have to climb into the car like an X6 and neither do you kind of fall down into the seat. You sit at entry level.”
BMW also would have been first to introduce a two-stage tailgate that opens either like a conventional bootlid or as a liftback door, though Czech car maker Skoda pipped the 5-Series GT with the ‘Twindoor’ system on its flagship model, the Superb large car.
Opening the tailgate either way accesses a cargo capacity of 440 litres, which expands to 590 litres with the fore-aft rear seats in their most forward position – or 1700 litres with the rear seats folded down.
BMW says the 5-Series GT’s vast rear legroom is somewhere between that in the regular 7-Series and its long-wheelbase variant.
A three-seat rear bench is standard, though a two-seat configuration is optional. With both set-ups, the rear seats feature electrically adjustable backrests.
The BMW 5-series GT will be available with a choice of three turbocharged engines – two six-cylinders and one V8. All are mated to a new eight-speed automatic only previously offered on the range-topping, V12-powered 7-Series (760i).
The entry-level model is powered by a 3.0-litre diesel with 180kW and 540Nm. It is the most frugal GT, using 6.5 litres per 100km, though also the slowest, with a 0-100km/h time of 6.9 seconds.
The 3.0-litre petrol produces 225kW and 400Nm, but is a newer version of BMW’s highly regarded twin-turbo six-cylinder with identical outputs. BMW’s engineers have deleted one turbo and introduced a slightly larger single turbo.
The 535i GT sprints to 100km/h in a claimed 6.3 seconds and uses 8.9L/100km (209g/km).
BMW’s 550i GT generates 300kW and 600Nm and is both the quickest (0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds) and thirstiest (11.2L/100km).
The 5-Series GT is being built in BMW’s Dolgoifing plant in Germany, alongside the 7-Series and, from next year, other new-generation 5-Series models.
BMW is expected to stretch the Gran Turismo concept into other model ranges, with a 3-Series GT all but officially confirmed.
Source: smh
