BMW steals the march over arch-rival Mercedes-Benz in importing a high-performance saloon on an official basis.
BMW Thailand has started imports of the all-new M5 following the earlier introductions of the M2 and M4.
This is the first time the Thai BMW office is selling the M5 on an official basis.
Priced at 13.339 million baht, BMW’s latest high-performance saloon will be shown at next month’s Bangkok motor show.
The M5 comes with a 600hp 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 to help propel the car from 0-100kph in 3.4sec.
Unlike the M2 and M4 coupes which feature seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission driving just the rear wheels, the M5 comes with an eight-speed torque-converter auto delivering power to all four wheels.
The most direct rival for the M5 is the Mercedes-AMG E63 S highlighting a 612hp 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 and, like the BMW, a four-wheel drive system that can switch to rear-drive for sideway thrills.
The E63 S has the same acceleration time as the M5. However, the E63 S has yet to be sold officially in Thailand.
