2016 BMW 5 Series Touring spotted in the wild

Expected to weight 110 kg lighter than the current 5 Series.

The 2016 BMW 5 Series Touring (next-generation BMW 5 Series Estate) was spied testing somewhere in France ahead of its market launch next year. The next generation BMW 5 Series is expected to debut at this year's Paris Motor Show in the sedan bodystyle, post which iterations such as this estate, a Gran Turismo and the performance M5 will be revealed through 2017.

The major news on the 2016 5 Series is its '35up' platform, derived from the all-new 7 Series. The carbon fiber infused platform is expected to put the new 5 Series on a 110 kg diet, which should show immediate results when the 5 Series is tested for efficiency and emissions.

Design-wise, the 2016 5 Series will be an evolution of the current generation model, but design inferences from the new 7 Series, such as the larger kidney grille and the more pronounced OLED taillights, are expected to be seen. As standard, the new 5 Series will get LED headlights with an option to upgrade to Laser lighting technology.

Aside from the regular range of four- and six-cylinder TwinPower Turbo petrol and diesel engines, the new 5 Series range will encompass two plug-in hybrid models reportedly badged 530e and 540e. The performance M550d is expected with a quad-turbocharged diesel engine.

Also read: BMW 1 Series sedan shows interior in new images

Expect BMW India to launch the new 5 Series in 2017. Like the present model, the sedan will be assembled at BMW India's Chennai plant, though owing to the all-new carbon core architecture and raft of technological innovations on-board, localization is likely to be lower than the present 50 percent.