[ElGreGoBMW]

Who knows something about the 545e this year?
It will be 545e only of/and 545e Xdrive ?
When ?

[LogicalApex]

Not many details yet.

So far, the strongest rumors are that the LCI will have underfloor batteries for larger capacity and a full size gas tank. But no details yet on engine upgrades to move it from a 530 to 545 designation (or if they will keep both the 530e and the 545e -- I doubt this though). There is no details on weight adjustments either. They may have made frame improvements to soften the weight of the new batteries and full sized gas tank.

I'm sure we'll start to get lots of details around May before production starts in July. But so far not much is known.

[roxxor]

Truly sucks that we won't get it here in the US. I would have delayed my order for my 530e a few months if we were still getting it. Also makes me wonder if they will just keep the 530e for the NA market.

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by roxxor

Truly sucks that we won't get it here in the US. I would have delayed my order for my 530e a few months if we were still getting it. Also makes me wonder if they will just keep the 530e for the NA market.

+1 I love my loaded 2018 530e but would appreciate a bit more HP. Mine is now 25 months old. If the 545e were available today, I would probably spend the money to upgrade to it. But Arizona is ending the ability of new PHEVs to drive in the HOV lanes in early March and I am grandfathered so long as I own my current vehicle.

So even if the 545e were available in the US, I would now pass on it. I now plan to keep my 530e for seven years (I have fours of BMW warranty and another three years on top of that from GEICO's mechanical breakdown insurance). Probably not more than that as there is so much expensive stuff in my car (ICE, electric motor, transmission, adaptive suspension, adaptive headlights, multicontour seats, six cameras plus a seventh infrared nightvision camera, etc.) that can break.

As an aside, I am surprised that BMW is not planning to bring the 545e to the US. Normally car makers bring their higher HP cars to the US because our road network supports/encourages their use (long stretches of road).

[ztx84]

For what its worth my dealer (this is UK) said that it was pretty unlikely that BMW would make a 545e as they have the 530e... I hope he is wrong as a 545e would be very tempting if it did appear!

[hlothery]

Originally Posted by SteveinArizona

. But Arizona is ending the ability of new PHEVs to drive in the HOV lanes in early March and I am grandfathered so long as I own my current vehicle.

.

Why in the world would Arizona do that? What is their rationale?

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by hlothery

Why in the world would Arizona do that? What is their rationale?

Federal law. They are supposed to monitor HOV usage and reduce alternative vehicle usage if the traffic gets too heavy. I suspect that the Department of Transportation was very aggressive in cutting off usage (the current administration in Arizona is not hybrid/electric vehicle friendly).

Arizona went from any BEV and any hybrid to any BEV and only select phevs and now it will be only BEVs and grandfathered drivers like me.

California is cutting back but not as much which strikes me as odd. I suspect that it all comes down to how they crunch the numbers.

[ted99]

BMW seems unique in pricing the 530e at the same price as the ICE 530 in the USA. "All" of BMW's (don't know about the 7-series) other PHEV's price the PHEV version at a higher price that is more or less the same as the Fed TC. Same thing for the just-announced price of the Audi Q5 PHEV (but it does have a higher spec). The just revealed prices for the new 330e and the X3 30e follow this pattern. Yet, the 530e has been and remains the same price as the 530. I have always wondered why anyone would purchase a "standard" 530, over the 530e. Apparently most 5-series buyers in CA think this way. Of course the HOV-lane stickers may have had something to do with this. However, will the LCI 530e change this? I have supposed that BMW has wanted to move a lot of the PHEV 5-series in CA because of fleet averages for the CARB rules. Others who know a lot more about the CA regulatory scheme may correct that assumption AND whether anything has changed to lessen BMW's current pricing strategy. Me, I'm about to buy a second 2020 530e to replace my lease-ending 2017 330e. With the larger tax credit, high incentives, higher BMWCCA rebate and discounts that seem to be extant on the 5-series in Houston; the cost for the 2020 530e isn't much more than the new 330e. I may even speed this up by a couple of months because I still worry that Trump will get pissed at the Europeans/Germans and put on 25% tariffs. He has in hand the requisite finding that European auto imports are damaging US National Security, so it's only a matter of a tweet to get this done.

[ElGreGoBMW]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

Not many details yet.

So far, the strongest rumors are that the LCI will have underfloor batteries for larger capacity and a full size gas tank. But no details yet on engine upgrades to move it from a 530 to 545 designation (or if they will keep both the 530e and the 545e -- I doubt this though). There is no details on weight adjustments either. They may have made frame improvements to soften the weight of the new batteries and full sized gas tank.

I'm sure we'll start to get lots of details around May before production starts in July. But so far not much is known.

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

Not many details yet.

So far, the strongest rumors are that the LCI will have underfloor batteries for larger capacity and a full size gas tank. But no details yet on engine upgrades to move it from a 530 to 545 designation (or if they will keep both the 530e and the 545e -- I doubt this though). There is no details on weight adjustments either. They may have made frame improvements to soften the weight of the new batteries and full sized gas tank.

I'm sure we'll start to get lots of details around May before production starts in July. But so far not much is known.

Thx a lot! If you get some news, please let me know...

[mobilejo]

Originally Posted by ztx84

For what its worth my dealer (this is UK) said that it was pretty unlikely that BMW would make a 545e as they have the 530e... I hope he is wrong as a 545e would be very tempting if it did appear!

Salesmen like to deny that anything new is coming because they need customers to buy whats available to order now. They even do it when you have no intention of buying whats available now.