
This past year was a bumper one for BMW, one of South Africa’s favourite automakers, as the German marque launched no fewer than 11 new cars in the local market.
The legendary 3 Series was given a mid-life update – known as the Life Cycle Impulse (LCI) in BMW colloquialism – seeing more athletic looks across the range and a thoroughly revised interior.
The all-new 5 Series arrived in the country, too, with the entry-level model of the executive sedan retailing for R1,247,894. This was accompanied by the first-ever electric i5 which slots in as the flagship model in the range.
Fans of the high-performance M department were finally able to get their hands on the second-generation M2 as well, offering a powerful 3.0-litre petrol block motivated by two turbochargers to produce a total of 338kW and 550Nm.
The automaker’s SUV line-up was also overhauled with the X1, X5, and X6 being updated during the year.
Perhaps one of its most important debuts in a long time, BMW launched the plug-in hybrid XM, which is billed as the first M original in over 40 years. The sizeable SUV employs 4.4-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine working in tandem with a 25.7kWh battery and electric motor to produce a combined 480kW and 800Nm.
This pushes the hunk of metal and carbon from 0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds, and it can be yours for only R3.4 million.
New BMWs from 2023
All the new BMW vehicles that launched in South Africa this past year are detailed below.
Click on the underlined links for more information.
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