Leftlane first reported about a wild and mysterious all-wheel drive, diesel-powered M5 that was supposedly in development back in August, but now new information suggests the crazy rumor was a blend of wishful thinking and reality.
According to Dutch site Driving Fun via BMWBlog, a recent dealer presentation in the Netherlands confirmed that a triple-turbocharged, all-wheel drive, 3.0-liter straight-six diesel-powered version of the 5-Series sedan is coming in March 2012 with 381 horsepower and torque at least over 515 lb-ft.
The model has been previously suggested to be sporting a colossal 500+ horsepower, and was to be a full-blown M-model, but now the nameplate has been revealed to be M550d, suggesting that this is more of a blend of the 535dX and 550i variants than an M5 with a diesel engine. That means that past rumors were somewhat accurate in predicting a sporty, all-wheel drive, diesel-powered 5-Series, but the full-blown M5d appears to be a bit of a pipe dream – at least for now.
Also claimed to be confirmed at the meeting is the intention of BMW to add the same diesel and all-wheel drive powertrain to future X5 and X6 models as well.
The report claims that production of the M550d will begin in March, 2012, but it is unclear if the car will head stateside or not at this time.
