Another wagon is in the cards for U.S. performance enthusiasts.
BMW plans to bring a touring variant of its M5 hybrid to the U.S. for the first time. Production of the 2025 BMW M5 Touring is scheduled to begin in Dingolfing, Germany, in the fourth quarter.
The third-generation M5 Touring features a drivetrain similar to the one used in the 640-hp M Hybrid V8 GTP race car, the automaker said.
Sam Fiorani, vice president for AutoForecast Solutions, said performance wagons are a specialty of German brands, combining thrill and practicality.
“BMW has demonstrated its ability to create performance family haulers with the M variants of the X models,” Fiorani said. “While wagons are not big sellers in the U.S., they have a core following who will be waiting with cash in hand to pick up an M5 wagon as soon as it arrives.”
With the introduction of the new M5, BMW’s M division is continuing on its path to electrification.
“We are now also installing a hybrid drive system with typical M performance in other high-performance cars,” BMW M development boss Dirk Häcker said in a statement.
The first M5 Touring, based on the second-generation M5 sedan, was launched in 1992 and was powered by a 3.8-liter inline-six-cylinder engine. In 2007, BMW introduced a Touring variant of the fourth-generation M5. It featured a high-revving 5.0-liter V-10 engine paired with a 7-speed manual gearbox delivering racetrack and highway driving capability.
While wagons remain popular elsewhere, notably in some European countries, automakers have generally dropped them from their U.S. lineups as American consumers migrate to crossovers and SUVs.
Buick, Volkswagen and Jaguar have discontinued wagons in the U.S. Even Volvo, the Swedish brand synonymous with the station wagon, trimmed its wagon lineup to just the V60 Recharge and a pair of higher-riding Cross Country variants of its V60 and V90 wagons.
BMW rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi still sell wagons, albeit off-road and performance models. Mercedes offers an E-Class All-Terrain wagon, while Audi sells the A4 Allroad, A6 Allroad and a performance-focused RS 6 Avant, which gained an even more extreme variant for the 2025 model year.
Jack Walsworth contributed to this report.