Categories: Cars

BMW 550e xDrive Poses In Front Of Opera House

With sadly no M560e xDrive on the horizon, the 550e xDrive is the closest we’ll get to an M Performance 5 Series with a combustion engine. BMW has now introduced the six-cylinder electrified sedan in Argentina where steep taxes make new cars ridiculously expensive. It costs a whopping $179,900, roughly two and a half times pricier than in the United States.

BMW’s Argentinian branch publicly displayed the 550e xDrive in front of the Teatro Colón (Columbus Theatre). The luxury automaker sponsors this historic opera house in Buenos Aires. Argentina welcomes foreign artists by chauffeuring them in BMWs during their stay. A matching Black Sapphire X7 M60i joined the 5 Series Sedan.

The 550e xDrive is sold by BMW Argentina in M Sport Pro flavor with adaptive suspension and M Sport brakes. To sweeten the pot, the four-door PHEV has 19-inch two-tone wheels and a subtle trunk lid spoiler. Inside, all cars get four-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, Alcantara/Veganza upholstery, and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

Like everywhere else, the 550e xDrive offered in Argentina has a combined output of 483 horsepower and 516 pound-feet (700 Newton-meters) of torque. It does 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.3 seconds and maxes out at 155 mph (250 km/h). Its 19.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack has enough juice for an electric range of around 56 miles (90 kilometers) in the WLTP cycle.

In other markets, BMW also sells a 530e with or without xDrive. The lesser plug-in hybrid model eschews the inline-six in favor of a smaller four-cylinder 2.0-liter engine. Of course, there’s a third PHEV model for those willing to step up to the M5 and its beefy twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V8. All three electrified 5 Series sedans are joined by a wagon but not all regions get the more practical Touring. In Argentina, neither the 5 Series nor the 3 Series is available as a wagon.

Photos: BMW Argentina