BMW has confirmed the impending death of its quad-turbo straight-six diesel engine, announcing a pair of “Final Edition” M50d models for some markets.

The news comes a little more than a year after a BMW board member suggested the 3,0-litre six-cylinder unit – which is offered in variants such as the X5 M50d and X7 M50d, where it develops a healthy 294 kW and 760 N.m – would not be replaced.

Production of the M50d engine will cease in September 2020, the company has confirmed. BMW claims the powerplant’s “unparalleled ratio of displacement to power and torque” became an “absolute world standard for a diesel”.

So, why has BMW decided to pull the plug on the B57S engine? Well, the aforementioned board member earlier suggested it would be too expensive and too complicated to develop a version of the quad-turbo powerplant that would comply with increasingly stringent emissions standards in Europe.

For markets such as Romania, the X5 M50d and BMW X7 M50d Final Edition models have been conceived to mark the withdrawal of the engine from the Munich-based firm’s portfolio. The special models feature an “extensive” list of standard equipment, along with an inscription on the doorsill plates.

Original article from Car


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