Rumours regarding a possible M version of the X5 have been doing the rounds for some time, but it appears that the “nastier” versions photographed are nothing more than vehicles equipped with the twin-turbo V8 4,400cc power of the X6 50i.

According to expectations from BimmerFile, the rear camouflage shows off new bumpers, destined to look very similar to the rear of the X6. The quad exhaust terminals demonstrate a tangibile sporty nature, rather than relying on other aesthetic aspects to confirm this.

Continue reading: Bmw X5: no "M", "just" a twin-turbo V8

The Porsche Cayenne GTS represents in some ways the provocative last front in the world of SUVs. With the Cayenne we’ve seen the entry of a paradox, an oxymoron, an open contradiction in the roots of this category of off-road (remember the first ML?) and the extravagance of feeling like you’re on the track.

In one corner of the ring of the Fifth Gear Shootout there is the Cayenne: steel spring technology, PASM, electronic suspension-checks, V8 with direct injection, but with a body lowered by 24mm (to the face of the lightest dirt road). It confronts a more “canonic” BMW X5 4.8i which, despite having 50 bhp less, does 0-100 km/hr in 6.5s - only four-tenths more than the Porsche, thanks to weighing a good 195kg less!! Who would have thought it would prevail on the track?

The BMW can count on excellent traction, guaranteeing road grip on the exit of corners. The example sampled by Vicky was also equipped with electronic suspension and 19″ alloys that did the rest. But the Cayenne, especially in sports mode, when you feel 50bhp extra and the more rigid body structure, it’s a true sports car in disguise.

Continue reading: Fifth Gear Shootout: BMW X5 4.8i vs Cayenne GTS

A future of stars and stripes for the offroads of BMW: given the progress of the euro-dollar exchange rate, management has decided to move the major part of the range’s manufacturing to Spartanburg, South Carolina. 750 million dollars has been dedicated to the facility from which 240,000 vehicles a year will be produced - a significant increase on the current 150,000. In addition 500 new employees will be hired.

In the course of the next five years then, the following developments will occur: the Z4 will return to Europe, and in its place the new generation BMW X3 from the Magna Steyr line of Graz will arrive. “Incorporating our know-how into SUV material will improve efficiency,” said Frank-Peter Arndt, member of BMW’s board of directors, in an interview with Automative News. “Increasing production in our most important market therefore represents a natural step,” he concluded. In the USA, the X3 and X5 sold 58,089 units in 2007 (an increase of over 8.9% on 2006).

Given the euro-dollar exchange, so unbalanced in favour of the former, many european manufacturers are taking more drastic measures, including BMW: realising overseas profits under this current pressure is not as easy as in the period of the weaker euro. And so also VW, after having closed down production of its last American facility in 1988, is about to return to the USA.

Continue reading: BMW: the entire X range to be produced in Spartanburg

BMW will be showing in Geneva their BMW Vision EfficientDynamic, a concept car based on the BMW X5 with a novel hybrid propulsion system based on the recent 2.0 litre Variable Twin Turbo diesel engine.

The diesel engine outputs 204 ps / 400 Nm, while the electric engine contributes a maximum of 15 kW of power and a torque of 210 Nm, which makes it possibile to accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 8,9 seconds, with an average fuel consumption of just 6.5 litres/100 km on the EU test cycle.

The generator used in the brake energy regeneration system is directly integrated in the gearbox housing and feeds a lithium-ion battery housed in the luggage compartment. Most vehicle functions are powered electrically and the Auto Start/Stop function should act seamlessy to avoid needless idling. There is also a 1 square meter solar cell on the roof which generates up to one kilowatt.

Continue reading: Geneva 2008 - BMW X5 hybrid concept