The next-gen M5 will pack a 750kW punch

BMW is set to fire an opening salvo in a new super sedan power war, aimed directly at rivals AMG and Audi.

The military-grade shot will come thanks to the new BMW M5, which is reported to arrive with 750kW at its disposal.

Yup, BMW is said to be working on a 1000hp sedan that will be sold to the public.

The news comes from a report by CAR in the UK that states an all-electric 750kW flagship will be added to the M5 range as part of a two-pronged attack on the super sedan battle.

If electric power doesn’t get your pistons firing, then the other M5 variant should. The same report claims a more traditional M5, with a twin-turbo V8 mated to a plug-in hybrid battery, is also in the works.

With combustion and battery power working in unison, the PHEV powertrain is expected to unleash 560kW and 1000Nm.

Sound tantalising? It should!

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We haven’t seen this new amped up powertrain just yet, with its development still ongoing under the secret codename ‘Project Rockstar’.

Project Rockstar is expected to debut as the yet unconfirmed X8 M coupe SUV, but it’s the powertrain that interests us most.

Currently the most powerful vehicle in the M Division’s current arsenal is the M8 Competition, with the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8-powered coupe producing 460kW and 750Nm. Power is delivered to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

For the new M5 that turbocharged V8 will get a working over, and be paired with a 150kW electric motor to maximise off the line acceleration.

Expect a 0-100km/h time quicker than 3.0- seconds.

Those rumoured 560kW/1000Nm outputs would instantly make the next M5 one of the most powerful four-door cars in the world, rivalling the likes of Dodge’s Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, which produces 595kW/959Nm from a 6.2-litre supercharged V8.

But it wouldn’t be the most powerful M5, with the all-electric variant set to utilise next-gen battery technology for truly staggering power outputs.

We’ve known BMW has been working on a high-performance electric powertrain for some time.

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Last year, engineers revealed ‘Project BEV’, which was built using a current 5 Series mule, and was fitted with three of BMW’s next-gen electric drive units (EDU).

Two were fitted to the rear axle, while the third was used to power the front wheels, with BMW reporting outputs of 529kW and 1150Nm.

BMW claimed the 2.4-tonne test car could crack 100km/h in 2.8 seconds.

Now, imagine what it can do with double the power output. Crikey!

CAR reports that new “Gen V pouch-type batteries” will be used to provide power to a trio of electric motors, each rated a 250kW – two on the rear, one on the front, just like Project BEV.

If that seems like a lot of grunt to put in the hands of regular citizens, BMW’s boss Markus Flasch has said previously that he won’t be telling engineers to cap power outputs any time soon.

Instead, the M Division boss says the company will be focusing on utilising and harnessing a powertrains unchained potential.

“Power is nothing without control, right? And if there isn’t something with too much power it’s just a question of how you tune in and hone into a car, and how you make it accessible,” Flasch told Wheels last year.

“You look 10, 15 years back and if you imagined 625 horsepower [466kW] in a saloon car, you’d probably be scared. Now, I can give an M5 this 625 horsepower and only drive to my mom, in winter, and she’d still be okay.

“It’s all just a question of how you incorporate it into a package that makes it accessible for everyone, and this is what M has always been brilliant in. Don’t expect a power limit.”

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