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Next-generation BMW 5 Series spied in Touring trim

It almost seems as if BMW just started selling the current-generation 5 Series, yet one of our spy photographers has already spotted a next-generation prototype in Touring form. Little is known about the luxury wagon in this early stage of testing, but it is expected to weigh much less than the current car, which, in 528i Touring guise with an automatic transmission, tips the scale at over 3,800 pounds. It is also expected to have the latest in driver-assistance technology. Despite the weight savings, and judging from the photos, it looks to have proportions similar to the current car, but don't expect the makeshift headlight and taillight clusters to make it onto the production model.
The crucial question for potential Touring customers in the United States is whether BMW will do the unexpected and import it here. The company's track record indicates that it will be sold in Rest of World markets only, but we're hoping that the next 5 Series will end the Touring's U.S. hiatus (and the 5 Series Gran Turismo's reign), which began in 2003 at the end of the E39 generation.

This insane Barris-like custom car is a backyard BMW Z3 build

This is the second car made by Englishman Paul Bacon and it's called the Cosmotron, fashioned over 18 months in his backyard shed. Underneath that Jetsons bubble canopy and swinging-sixties body are the bones of a 1998 BMW Z3 with a 2.8-liter inline-six. Bacon stripped the roadster down, then built it back up using fiberglass laid over polystyrene foam, and leather hand-stitched by his wife. Bacon said he remembers how we were told that 21st-century cars would look like the Cosmotron, and since they don't, he had to fix the error. The list of 20th-century add-ons, however, is impressive, like the six SU carburetors topped off with department-store salt and pepper shakers, and the rear grille decorated with shiny plastic tops from moisturizer bottles. After driving the Cosmotron for two years, Bacon sold it to get ready for his third project. You can hear Bacon and the new buyer tell their stories in the video above.

BMW 5 Series future: 3-cyl engines and 600-hp M5

What if we told you the next BMW M5 would crest 600 horsepower? You probably wouldn't be too surprised, considering the steady increase in output that's accompanied each preceding generation. Now, what if we told you that the next BMW 5 Series would be available with a three-cylinder engine? Yeah, that'd be a surprise. But it may be a reality, according to a new report from Car. In its roundup of information on the next-gen BMW 5, code-named G30, the Brit mag predicts the new sedan will arrive in the summer of next year riding on an all-new platform that trims nearly 180 pounds of body fat through the use of high-strength steel, aluminum and carbon fiber. That platform, called the CLAR, which is short for Cluster Architecutre will give birth to not only a new 6 Series, but (for some reason) a 5 Series Gran Turismo and a Touring model, which won't likely be sold in the US. It will also underpin the 7 Series, eventually. Under hood, the lighter 5er will be paired with a new 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbodiesel for the entry level 518d. This is the same three-pot oil-burner found in the 2 Series Active Tourer and Mini Cooper D. Of course, considering how little of BMW's actual engine range is sold in the US, we very much doubt the 518d will make it across the pond. More likely candidates for the US market include a range of a 2.0-liter, four-cylinders, such as the 272-horsepower 528i, and potentially a four-cylinder diesel. Naturally, there will be six-cylinder mills, found on the 530i, 530d, 540i and M550d. At the very top of the range, of course, will be a 600-hp M5. There will even be a range of hybrids and plug-in hybrids that are sure to further annihilate the formerly logical BMW nomenclature. Car expects the new 5er to arrive next summer, which we'd wager would lead to a debut at either the 2016 Geneva Motor Show or perhaps next year's Auto China, in Beijing. Featured Gallery BMW 5 Series Next Generation Spy Shots News Source: CarImage Credit: CarPix Rumormill BMW Diesel Vehicles Hybrid Luxury Sedan