Plug-in hybrid version of BMW X5 also coming to PH?

BMW Philippines distributor SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp. is set to offer plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the country. That's right, after first offering electric vehicles (EVs) alongside internal combustion (ICEs) models, the German automaker will offer customers more electrified options.

We already know that there's a high possibility the all-new M5 (which is now a PHEV) will make its arrival in the country in the future. But what other models will get the PHEV option? Well, based on the new regulatory approvals BMW has secured, we can expect the X5 to be one of them.

According to one of the recently approved passenger vehicles, it gets a 2998cc engine which translates to a displacement of 3.0-liter. It also has a reference weight of 2355kg which makes it quite heavy. After crunching and cross-checking the numbers, it looks like BMW is set to bring the X5 xDrive 50e.

Revealed last 2023 for the 2024 model year, the BMW X5 xDrive50e serves as the most powerful PHEV version of the brand's crossover SUV. In other markets, the xDrive50e makes use of a 3.0L turbocharged inline-six that's assisted by an electric motor and a 25.7 kWh battery pack. The result is a total system output of 483 PS and 700 Nm of torque.

Mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox, the plug-in hybrid X5 can sprint from 0 – 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. More importantly, the X5 xDrive50e has an all-electric range of 64 km.

BMW remains tight-lipped about the upcoming PHEV models. But since the X5 will be one of many in the long run, we won't be surprised if the brand will indeed bring more plug-in hybrids. Perhaps we can expect the BMW PHEVs to make their arrival around next year in Q1 2025.