The BMW M5 Touring - the estate variant of BMW's high-powered 5 Series - will return in 2024, after a 13-year hiatus since the 'E60' 5 Series was discontinued in 2010.
Testing of the first M5 Touring prototypes is set to commence in the next few days, with BMW putting the car through its paces in day-to-day urban traffic, as well as on motorways and country roads around Munich and BMW M's headquarters in Garching.
Integration of the Touring's various drive and suspension systems will occur at the Nordschleife track, where BMW tests every new model - although M-badged models are tested much more rigorously at the circuit.
New M5 Touring - styling and specs
BMW has also confirmed that the new M5 will use a plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain, as already found in the XM SUV. Nonetheless, the M5's system will differ as the electric motor will be rear-mounted, with power expected to be well over 700hp - though official details are unconfirmed.
"We are now also installing a hybrid drive system with typical M performance in other high-performance cars," said Dirk Häcker, head of development at BMW M.
The new M5's chassis is set to be thoroughly reworked, with a wider front and rear track to optimise handling and performance.
The design of the M5 Touring is yet to be revealed - however, teaser images released by BMW show a large rear spoiler and a quad-exhaust specification - a typical set-up for an M model.
New BMW 5 Series and i5
The new 5 Series was revealed back in May, with some major changes to the model's range, including the introduction of the all-electric i5 and BMW's decision to no longer offer a diesel version of what is one of its most popular models.
The i5 will arrive in Ireland later in the year and will be available in two trim levels: the rear-wheel drive eDrive40 and four-wheel drive M60 xDrive. Both models feature an 81.2kWh battery.
The M60 xDrive version is equipped with front- and rear-mounted electric motors, which combine to develop 584hp.
BMW M3 Touring
Upon launch, the M5 Touring will join the smaller M3 Touring as part of BMW's high-performance estate line-up.
The M3 Touring debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last summer as the first 3 Series Touring to have been given the full M treatment. The car is available in one specification only - the range-topping Competition xDrive trim.
Fitted with BMW M's 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six, the Touring develops 510hp.
BMW M5 Touring - a history
While the M3 Touring might have been the first of its kind, the M5 Touring has a story stretching back over 30 years and two generations.
The original M5 Touring debuted in 1992 and was based on the E34-generation 5 Series. It was intended as a more practical version of the existing M5 saloon and featured a 340hp six-cylinder engine derived from the unit seen in the BMW M1.
BMW reportedly considered introducing a Touring version of the E39 M5, going so far as to build a prototype - however, the model never saw production.
The M5 Touring did return in 2007, this time based on the sometimes controversial Bangle-designed E60 M5. This generation of M5 Touring upped the ante from the previous version - fitted with a 507hp V10 not too dissimilar to the engines seen in the F1 car of previous years, with a 0-100 km/h time of just 4.8 seconds.