BMW.SG | BMW Singapore Owners Community The Ultimate BMW Community – Established Since 2001
The BMW M5 Touring has done something few people expected: it has turned the SUV-obsessed American market into wagon territory. Demand for the long-roof M5 has been so fierce in the United States that American buyers now favour it over the saloon, prompting BMW to split production evenly between the two body styles. It is a remarkable shift for a market that has historically shunned estates in favour of taller, bulkier alternatives, and it has given BMW the confidence to consider shipping even more wagon variants across the Atlantic.
Bernd Koerber, senior vice president of BMW Brand and Product Management, revealed that American customers are drawn to the M5 Touring for entirely different reasons than their European counterparts. In Europe, the saloon remains the more popular choice, but in the US, the estate has become something of a lifestyle statement. Koerber noted that BMW is more than happy to develop on that momentum, a clear signal that additional wagon models are being actively evaluated for the American and Canadian markets. The manufacturer began accepting US orders for the M5 Touring in September 2024, just weeks after unveiling the most powerful and torque-rich wagon it has ever built.
Among the strongest candidates for a US introduction is the next-generation M3 Touring, a car that has never been officially sold in America. The current model is offered exclusively in Competition xDrive specification and produces 523 horsepower from its turbocharged inline-six, paired solely with an automatic gearbox. Its successor is expected to retain that familiar six-cylinder turbo layout with some form of electrification, most likely a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that would add a useful shove of low-end torque without piling on the weight associated with a full plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
The electric side of the equation looks equally promising. The i5 M60 xDrive Touring already offers a ferociously quick all-electric estate experience, while the forthcoming i3 M Touring, built on BMW’s Neue Klasse platform, is shaping up to be something truly formidable. The i3 M saloon has been confirmed with four electric drive units and a projected output well north of 800 horsepower, and the Touring variant should carry similar firepower. Range may take a hit given that level of performance, but for buyers chasing outright speed in an estate body, the i3 M Touring could sit at the very top of the hierarchy.
What the M5 Touring has proven is that there is a genuine appetite for fast, practical estates in a market long dominated by crossovers and SUVs. BMW appears ready to capitalise on that appetite, and with the next M3 Touring, the i3 M Touring, and the i5 M60 xDrive Touring all waiting in the wings, the German manufacturer is positioning itself as the go-to brand for performance wagon buyers on both sides of the Atlantic.
