SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) — BMW Group has unveiled its 5 series sedan in South Korea for the first time, indicating the significance of the market to the German carmaker.
The 5 series comes in three distinct versions — gas, diesel, or electric powertrain. The 520i and 530i xDrive models are powered by BMW’s TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder gasoline engine and a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, while the 523d and 523d xDrive variants feature the TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder diesel engine and the same mild-hybrid system.
The rear-wheel-drive i5 eDrive40 and all-wheel-drive i5 M60 xDrive are both equipped with a 81.2 kWh battery pack, with the former capable of travelling up to 392 kilometers on a single charge and the latter up to 361km.
The gasoline models are priced between 67 million-89 million won (US$49,000-$66,000), with the diesel models selling at 76 million-83 million won. The all-electric models are available at 94 million-104 million won.
BMW Group Korea sells vehicles under three brands — BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce. In the January-August period, the three brands sold a total of 56,817 vehicles in Korea, down 2.4 percent from 58,185 units a year earlier due to higher interest rates and an economic slowdown.
South Korea was the biggest market for BMW when it comes to the 5 series models for the whole of 2022 and for the January-August period. BMW sold about 21,000 units of the 5 series models last year and 16,000 5 series models in the first eight months here.
The accompanying image shows the new 5 series sedans. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr (END)