Article Summary
- A new BMW Group Facebook photo confirms the V8 X5 will be badged X5 M60, not X5 M60i.
- The name drop follows BMW's pattern of dropping "i" from gas models, as seen on the X3 M50.
- BMW has only officially named the X5 40, X5 40d, iX5 60, and X5 M60e so far — the V8 model's timing is still unconfirmed.
BMW Group’s Facebook page has posted a new image of the fifth-generation X5, showing the SUV’s rear end and badge on the production line at Spartanburg. The car in the shot is finished in Dravit Grey Metallic, and a tailgate badge reading M60 is clearly visible alongside the shadowline trim BMW reserves for its M Performance models.
That badge is notable because BMW hasn’t officially named this car yet. So far, the automaker has only confirmed the X5 40, X5 40d, iX5 60, and X5 M60e, and has said a V8-powered X5 is coming without attaching a name to it. This Facebook image is the first real confirmation of what that V8 model will be called, and it points to the same naming shift BMW has already made elsewhere in the lineup: no more “i” on the end.
What was the X5 M60i on the outgoing G05 becomes simply X5 M60 on the new G65, following the pattern already set by the X3 M50. The “i” historically denoted fuel injection, but now that it mostly shows up on the electric i4, i5, i7 and iX cars, BMW is using its absence on gas models to draw a cleaner line between combustion and electric nomenclature.
Shadowline is worth calling out too, since it’s easy to glance past in a photo like this. The package swaps chrome exterior trim for gloss black, and BMW has leaned on it as visual shorthand for M Performance and M Sport models for years. Combined with the M60 badge and the Black Sapphire paint, the tailgate in this image reads exactly like what a production M60i customer car looks like today, which is the point. This isn’t a camouflaged prototype anymore. It’s a car close enough to sale that BMW is comfortable showing it rolling down the line.
BMW X5 M60 Expected in 2027
That timing lines up with what BMW has already said publicly. The new X5 launches this fall as the X5 40, X5 40 xDrive, X5 50e xDrive, and the all-electric iX5 60 xDrive, all built at Spartanburg starting in August. The V8 M60 isn’t part of that initial wave. BMW’s own materials describe it as arriving “later in 2027,” after an M60e plug-in hybrid variant that borrows the M760e’s turbocharged inline-six and electric motor for 603 hp and 590 lb-ft. The M60e is quick, but it’s also 650 pounds heavier than the outgoing M60i and a couple tenths slower to 62 mph. It is not a replacement for the V8, and BMW has been clear that a true one is still coming.
What that V8 will actually produce is still unconfirmed. The current X5 M60i uses the twin-turbo 4.4-liter S68, good for 523 hp and 553 lb-ft, and BMW has all but confirmed the same engine carries over rather than getting retired. Spy shots earlier this year showed prototypes wearing perforated brake pads, which suggests BMW is testing an upgraded brake package alongside the V8, not just carrying over the old hardware wholesale. Whether the new M60 beats 523 hp is the open question. Given how much heavier the M60e ended up, and given BMW’s habit of nudging output up generation over generation, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the V8 model closes some of that gap by outgunning its own PHEV sibling on paper, even if it can’t match it in a straight sprint.
The image was first spotted by Bimmerpost forum member SCA.
