BMW has launched the new 545e xDrive plug-in hybrid, a new flagship for 5 Series PHEVs. A 34 mile electric driving range is possible from the new PHEV, which brings the number of plug-in 5 Series models to five.
The new 545e xDrive uses the 11.2 kWh battery shared with the rest of the 5 Series PHEV range, with an 80 kW electric motor for power. Fuel economy is quoted at 134.5 MPG, and CO2 emissions are 46 g/km.
The electric motor is supported by a six cylinder petrol engine – as opposed to the 530e’s four-cylinder unit – for a combined output of 394 hp (290 kW). This allows for a 0-62 mph time of just 4.7 seconds, helped in part with 600 Nm of torque being available to the driver.
As you would expect from BMW’s plug-in hybrids, there are different driving modes for drivers to pick from. Electric mode will keep the car in zero tailpipe-emission drive as long as the battery charge remains. There is also Hybrid, Hybrid Eco Pro, and Sport.
The launch of the new BMW 545e xDrive adds to the existing 5 series PHEV models – the 530e Saloon and Touring, and 530e xDrive Saloon and Touring.
BMW’s addition of the 545e xDrive to its line-up comes at the same time as plans have been announced that the German marque expects to have sold more than seven million pure-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2030, across the BMW Group brands.
More than 500,000 electric vehicles from BMW brands were sold last year and by the end of 2021, that figure is expected to rise to over one million units.
