[HighRevving]

I feel they are going to stick to the 30i and 20d:

• 530d is anyway sold in regular wheelbase in M-Sport trim for the diesel enthusiasts. I know a lot of people who are chauffeur driven and don't like the torque surge in the 530d, so on the contrary, people may prefer the smaller diesel.
• For the petrol enthusiasts, M340i is more than enough - don't think they'd prefer a bigger, heavier, longer LWB.
• Either way, cost will be a big factor and even if these engines are provided as optional variants, people will end up buying the cheaper, smaller engine variants; though FE in the 4-cyl and 6-cyl Bimmer engines are very similar. E.g. The quiet Economic Times readers in the backseat could care less about the 30d engine and will happily settle for 520d.
• 40i is going to force them to go down the XDrive route. Again, cost. I can't think of the customer base for 540i, just look at the 3-series for instance; the 30i and 20d are quite expensive as it is. 3er enthusiasts are already disappointed about the LCI being introduced only in LWB.

[Sahil]

Great move by BMW! I could totally see this joining our family garage.

Good on BMW for focusing on the drawbacks of the E-class and solving for them in the G60 LWB. While the E LWB is great and was a masterstroke by MBIL to get it here, it seemed like an after thought for the chinese market that trickled down to Indian market too.
Now that the 2nd and 3rd largest car markets in the world prefer LWB, car makers will focus on LWB ground up while making the new models rather than merely stretching it's SWB.

Originally Posted by GTO

I sure hope that the regular wheelbase variant is retained for us enthusiasts & self-driven owners. Self-drive owners don't want to be piloting a limousine all the time.

I highly doubt the SWB will exist along side the LWB in this case. Much like the E-class, the SWB will get killed atleast via the CKD route.

As others mentioned, it seems the 340i will remain the only VFM enthusiasts CKD car in the line up. I sure hope so too that they have other options for enthusiasts who don't want to stretch to a full blown M car.

BMW should reconsider their tagline too - Ultimate Driving Machine ,doesn't seem to fit as well if this is the route they are taking.
____________________

It's time the Germans start focusing on strong hybrids. While they are quick to adapt to tech on the interiors, they are quite slow with offering EV and Hybrid engines .
Even Maruti has proper hybrids on offer now, its high time there is a revamp in the German engines to provide this.
LWB+Long Range EV would be an ideal combo for the G60

[Axe77]

If they suitably raise the GC for this a bit like they have for the 3GL vs the regular 3, I think it’ll make an excellent chauffeur driven car. Mercedes currently doesn’t have any petrol cars in the C and E range that are as nice to drive as the BMW petrols. A 258 bhp petrol with all the comfort for when you’re chauffeur driven is a nice combination for people who like to drive AND are driven around, both in equal measure.

My only disappointment is that I’m pretty sure the day they bring this out, they will phase out the 6GT to avoid internal cannibalisation.

Originally Posted by Sahil

I highly doubt the SWB will exist along side the LWB in this case. Much like the E-class, the SWB will get killed atleast via the CKD route.

Agree with Sahil. My sense is that they’ll expect regular 5 Series buyers to likely go for the 3GL instead. So performance 3 series buyers - M340i; other 3 series buyers, 3GL and 5 series buyers get divided between 3GL or LWB 5.

The regular 5 and 6GT most likely get axed with the launch of the LWB 5.

[CEF_Beasts]

The 5er G60 (PHEV version) has been leaked

[84.monsoon]

The G60 has been fully revealed now. It is definitely an evolution and by no means a revolutions. Some interesting facts:

• Those wanting to buy the ICE version, can only have the 4 cylinder 520i at least in Europe. I think the same will be the case in India, as we get only 4 cylinder engine options only, even today here. The 6-cylinder is reserved for the plug-in hybrids in Europe. The 2 liter petrol's see a power bump to 208 hp. The 2 liter diesels also get a minor power bump to 197 hp.
• Flap type door handles have now gone mainstream and present on the new 7, the new X1 as well as the new 5 series. I hate these as they hark back to the times when cheap cars like Renault Duster had them and all expensive cars had grab handles. However the pressure to save that last drop of fuel due to tightening CAFE norms etc are making manufacturers go towards flatter and flusher door handles as these reduce air resistance.
  
• The new 5 series is even longer, busting the 5 meter length threshold - The new edition has extended in length by 97 mm to 5,060 mm. Wheelbase increased by 20mm as well.
• The glow lighting system around the kidney grill will become a sure hit in India, I am sure Kia and Hyundai are already working hard on rapidly copying this concept into their cars.
• High shoulder lines have gotten even higher! I thought car makers were giving up on this trend of higher and higher shoulder lines, as these make the interiors claustrophobic.
• The curved display and drive controls are now exactly identical in all mainstream BMWs including the 3 series LCI, 7 series etc. The same is replicated here.
• The part I hate the most is the new two spoke steering wheel, It looks toyish just like the one Skoda provides across its range. Wish they had designed something more substantial.
• BMW is the latest to go to Vegan interiors as standard. Bye bye leather!
• The iDrive 8.5 OS adds QuickSelect, making navigation on the infotainment system easier, along with in car gaming etc.
• BMW Digital Key being accessible via Apple Watch is a huge step forward. So very soon, you can drive away with no key, no phone, nothing more than your Apple Watch in your wrist!

Overall the design language is very close to the 3 series LCI recently launched. Those buying 3 series LCI Cars like the M340i will not feel like their car's design is dated as the G60's exteriors and interiors are very close in design to the 3 series LCI. The last picture shows a comparison of the rear design of the G20 M340i LCI and the G60 5 series.

[AJ56]

Looks very ugly to me, BMW needs to fire their designers. First the M disaster with that grille on the M4 and now their mainstream sedans also look like chipmunks.

[itwasntme]

Just doesn't immediately gel with me in the way that the G30 LCI 5 did, and especially in that Bluestone Metallic shade.

Would have been glorious to be an owner of one of those with the 530D engine.

[Aaroah]

Any clue on the engine options they will ship the car with for our markets. I really hope we get a 540i/540d in India and not just the electric crap

[abhinav.gupta88]

Any news on any hybrid option for India (Mild/Strong - any)?

Also, any tentative timeline on when will this roll out for India (Launch / Deliveries)?

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

Any news on any hybrid option for India (Mild/Strong - any)?

Also, any tentative timeline on when will this roll out for India (Launch / Deliveries)?

My hunch is next year around this time. MBIL claims the new E LWB will come in by mid 2024, I think BMW launch soon after.