BMW adds all-wheel drive to 5-Series Gran Turismo

BMW has announced the addition of all-wheel drive to its 5-Series Gran Turismo lineup. BMW will initially roll out its xDrive all-wheel drive technology on select 5-Series Gran Turismo models, but the AWD option will eventually be available on every model in the range.

The first xDrive 5-Series GT models - the BMW 530d xDrive Gran Turismo and the BMW 550i xDrive Gran Turismo - will launch this June. Following later in the summer, BMW will add the BMW 535d xDrive Gran Turismo and the BMW 535i xDrive Gran Turismo to the model range.

The BMW 550i xDrive Gran Turismo will be the first all-wheel drive model to debut, bowing later this month at the Auto China Beijing 2010. Like its two-wheel drive counterpart, the 550i xDrive Gran Turismo receives its power from a 407 horsepower 4.4L turbocharged V8. Thanks to that all-wheel drive grip, the 550i xDrive Gran Turismo can accelerate from 0-62 in 5.4 seconds, yet is capable of averaging about 28mpg.

BMW has yet to release pricing for the AWD range, but expect a premium of a few thousand dollars.