Official: The Next-Gen BMW M5 Touring Wagon Is Coming to America
It would have natural high-performance station wagon competitors right away.
As we start to see BMW launching 2025-model-year offerings, one in particular—a performance variant of the newest 5 Series—is really churning the rumor mill. In mid-2023, whispers began that the U.S. would see a high-performance BMW wagon in the form of the M5 Touring. A station wagon we haven't seen 2010 (the E61 version), and one we've never been given in M5 strength? Yep, people are starting to get excited about the news again in 2024. Could BMW really be sending an M5 Touring to the U.S. to take the super-wagon fight to the Mercedes-AMG E63 and Audi RS6 Avant? As of April 4, 2024, BMW has confirmed that, yes, it is.
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The automaker's official announcement that the M5 Touring will come to the U.S. as a 2025 model with the same M Hybrid powertrain we'll see in the 2025 M5 sedan, with production beginning in Q4 2024, follows an earlier report fromThe Car Guide. In that (unofficial) report, head of BMW design Domagoj Dukec said yes, the next-gen M5 Touring will be coming to the U.S. alongside the M5 sedan. In that same report, The Car Guide noted that a camouflaged M5 Touring prototype was spotted recently in Los Angeles, but it's not uncommon for manufacturers to test vehicles not destined for our shores here. Specific timing on the new wagon's release proved elusive, but The Car Guide suggests it "should take place late this year."
When we asked BMW for comment about the would-be M5 Touring previously, all the automaker had to say was: "BMW M has confirmed the production of the BMW M5 Touring. Details related to when and in which markets this car will be offered will follow at a later date."
Now, if you look at that statement at face value, it sounded pretty "no"-ish. However, just as we suspected, BMW's statement didn't shut down the notion with a clear-cut "no." Considering no M5 Touring has previously made it to the U.S.—making a "no" on the wagon pretty easy for BMW, given it'd just be business as usual with an upcoming M5 debut—the tantalizing non-shut-down from BMW seemed like a wink. Now, of course, we know it was the best kind of tease. An M5 Touring will reach American customers, and it will give BMW something to fight the Audi RS6 and Mercedes-AMG E63 with.
This story was originally published February 14, 2024, and has since been updated to reflect BMW's official confirmation that the M5 Touring is headed stateside.
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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