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BMW M5 Touring Wagon Confirmed For The U.S. With No Cadillac Rival

The new seventh-generation 2025 BMW M5 in its Touring wagon configuration will soon arrive on American shores, according to a surprise announcement by the Bavarian-headquartered automaker, with production of the model slated to kick off in Q4 2024.

While BMW vehicles have been sold in the United States since 1975, this is the first-ever appearance of the BMW M5 Touring in the USA, which the company claims is in response to the requests of many American fans.

The rear section of the forthcoming BMW M5 Touring wagon, hidden under camouflage.

Even more remarkably, the 2025 BMW M5 Touring will feature a high-performance hybrid powertrain apparently modified from the one that motivates the BMW M Hybrid V8 GTP race car. The BMW M development chief Dirk Häcker says “we are now also installing a hybrid drive system with typical M performance in other high-performance cars,” indicating that while BMW is pursuing electrification, it is doing so through a strategy that uses hybrid drivetrains as a stepping stone.

This strategic choice contrasts with the approach taken by Cadillac, which has instead opted to skip the release of hybrids and attempt full electrification by 2030. Unfortunately, Cadillac has no direct rival to the BMW M5 Touring among its model lineup, with the closest to a competitor being the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing – which is sedan-only.

The Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon was the last GM entry in the niche of high-performance luxury wagons, and has no successors currently in the pipeline. A possible Cadillac CT5 wagon was mentioned in spring 2020 by the brand’s head engineer, Brandon Vivian, but has failed to materialize since. GM Authority also rendered a speculative shooting brake wagon variant with a three-door design.

An in-depth 23-minute video comparison from 2021 between the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, the BMW M5, and the Tesla Model S Plaid yielded interesting results. However, the addition of a performance hybrid wagon to the mix with the latest announcement could potentially shake up the results of that test.

Relatedly, GM is planning to reveal a V-series all-electric vehicle this year, with the Cadillac Lyriq-V as one of the most likely candidates.

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Comments

  1. Yeah, still have my CTS-V Wagon. Nothing out there can replace it!!

    Reply
    1. Me too. We each own one of around 1600 produced. I wonder how many still exist. I know I saw several reports of crashed wagons that would have been totaled.

      Reply
  2. That high-performance hybrid powertrain has 5,300+ pounds to motivate. It’s ridiculous how heavy some cars have become.

    Reply
  3. Wags rule!!

    Reply
  4. For years people have been asking for a new V wagon. It’s sad that a foreign competitor listened, while GM didn’t.

    Reply
    1. I think you missed where I and David have one of 1600 produced from I believe 2011 to 2014. So around 500/yr were purchased. Tens of thousands more like me and David would have needed to make it viable. Its not. The editors loved it, the buying public not so much. To give you an idea just how unloved it was, I got a 10K discount on mine. The coupe’s and sedans were not discounted. The coupe’s were flying off the lots.

      Reply
    2. Not sad at all. Americans don’t like wagons and if GM made the mistake of building one, they’d probably lose so much the entire V/Blackwing program would be endangered.

      Reply
  5. Don’t give up just yet , who knows what the future holds .

    Reply
    1. I know Kia is offering a sport wagon. That may be a segment that is coming back.

      Reply
  6. What’s new?

    Reply

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