The BMW 5 Series celebrates its 30th birthday this month. The first car of the new 5 Series, the BMW 520, was built in Munich in 1972 after the Olympic Games and the completion of the “BMW Four Cylinder” building, the BMW Group Office Headquarters.
The idea for a medium-sized high-caliber BMW saloon originated at the end of the 1950’s – a car comfortable enough for five people yet agile enough for a lively drive. The marketing strategists named the BMW 1500 “the New Class”, it saw the light of day for the first time in 1962. For BMW, this concept became the central pillar of its product philosophy.
In its fourth generation (and the fifth after the 1500 Series), the BMW 5 Series maintains its position as the golden mean of the product range. The product substance has always made the 5 Series a trendsetter: elegant, comfortable, sporty, practical, and setting standards in both active and passive safety – in short, a car that appeals to both reason and emotion. Today, the 5 Series comes with a power range from 136 to 286 horsepower, and as the absolute ultimate, the M5, with 294 horsepower. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
