BMW watchers were scratching their heads, as BMW put a temporary hold on 2016 BMW X5 xDrive 35d models that were headed to U.S. dealerships. With the biggest automotive news story of the year being the Volkswagen diesel emission testing scandal, observers couldn’t help but wonder if delaying deliveries of U.S. X5 diesels was related.
BMWBLOG inquired and received a statement from BMW of North America’s technical communications spokesperson Rebecca Kiehne, who explained, “All MY2016 BMW X5 underwent some minor technical updates that required new emissions testing. Due to testing logistics, the certification will be finished by the end of the year on the diesel variant.
Well, that certainly clears things up. This could be nothing more than BMW Manufacturing discovering a production glitch or flaw—which happens all the time in the car-making business—and being super-careful to make sure that fixing the defect will not affect emissions or if it does, have new testing done so that BMW is doing things that are correct, complete, and legal. Or it could mean something else entirely. We simply don’t know.
All BMW diesel-powered X5s sold in the world are manufactured in BMW Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina. The hold only affects those intended for the U.S. market. U.S. dealers have been advised of the delay and the modified delivery schedule. Ms. Kiehne specified that “the on-sale date and model year change for MY2016 BMW X5 xDrive35d has been set to December 2015.
If you have a 2016 diesel X5 on order, now you know that it might be late. Perhaps one day in the future, we may learn the exact reason for the delay, but in the meantime, enjoy your X5 whenever you finally get it. We just hope for your sake that whatever BMW is doing to the diesel X5, it leaves intact those wonderful 413 pound-feet of torque.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
