BMW springs surprise as all-new 5 Series released

BMW took the motoring world by surprise this week when, without warning, it revealed the all-new 5 Series, possibly one of the most important cars in the Munich company’s history.

While the 3 Series has consistently been the company’s worldwide bestseller, the 5 Series has, over six generations and cumulative sales of 7.6m units, become a vital part of BMW’s ambitious expansion plans.

And, with its arrival on the marketplace — BMW says the new 520d will go on sale here later this month with an on-the-road price tag of €52,800 — it is going to scare the pants off its main rivals from Audi, Mercedes, Volvo, Jaguar, and Lexus.