What's the news?
BMW will be bringing along some enhancements for the new M5 to the SEMA (Speciality Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas this week. SEMA is essentially mecca for tuners and modifiers, and the big brand car makers (especially the major American brands) come to Vegas to court the lucrative market for spoilers, wings, and bigger turbos.
The new M5 isn't even on sale yet, but BMW will be bringing along some extra bits and bobs for the car to show off at SEMA. We already know that the new M5 will pack both a 600hp 4.4-litre V8 twin turbo engine, and switchable four-wheel drive, so quite what the extra parts will be remains to be seen. We do know that BMW says they will "underscore the high-performance sedan's sporty and luxurious appearance, while also fulfilling functional requirements in terms of aerodynamics, cooling and lightweight construction."
What they probably won't be will be the expected M5 Competition Package, which will see more power (!) and bigger, lighter, ceramic-carbon brakes fitted to this ultimate super-saloon.
Speaking of ultimate super-saloons, BMW will also be celebrating 30 years of the M3 in the U.S. at SEMA, with a special M3 30 Years American Edition. BMW Designworks (the Bavarian's California-based design studio) and BMW Individual have combined to create a show car that celebrates those 30 years, including the M3's string of successes in Touring Car competitions around the world.
Alongside those two will be other vehicles dolled up with M Performance parts including the BMW 740e xDrive iPerformance, BMW 440i and BMW X3 xDrive30i. Also on show will be the Moto GP BMW M2 Safety Car and the classic BMW M1 IMSA Group 4 Race Car.