BMW Group South Africa has confirmed it has pulled the standard M5 sedan from its line-up, explaining that demand has shifted towards the full-fat M5 Competition variant.

Since the latter part of 2018, the F90-generation M5 range in South Africa included both the standard variant and the Competition-badged flagship. But BMW SA says local buyers have favoured the more powerful variant.

“Following the M5 Competition’s introduction here late in 2018, customer interest and demand increasingly shifted away from the ‘standard’ M5 to a point where the demand for the M5 Competition far outstripped [that for] the standard version,” a spokesperson for BMW Group SA told CARmag.co.za.

“Based on this (and a few additional factors) the decision was made to offer only the M5 Competition in our market,” the company added.

Before its removal from the local range, the M5 had been priced from R1 762 807, almost R300 000 less expensive than the M5 Competition.

As a reminder, the M5 employs a twin-turbo 4,4-litre V8 offering 441 kW and 750 N.m to all four wheels via a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission. The result is a blast from zero to 100 km/h in a claimed 3,4 seconds, along with an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (or 305 km/h with the optional M Driver’s Package fitted).

The M5 Competition, meanwhile, offers an additional 19 kW, cutting one-tenth off the claimed sprint time. The flagship variant furthermore features items such as a model-specific M Sport exhaust system, a special engine mounting package, “bespoke chassis tuning” (including a lower ride height) and M light-alloy wheels sporting a Y-spoke design.

 

Original article from Car