BMW will be addressing concerns of child safety locks on board the 2014 X5 SUV which could deactivate without any warning. This will only affect those vehicles with automatic soft closing options and the company has already commenced informing owners of these vehicles despite the fact that there have been no reports of any untoward incidents.
It was noted that the rear side door lock mechanisms may not have been manufactured according to precise tolerance, due to which inside door handle when pulled could disengage the child safety lock. This will allow rear seat occupants to pull door handle twice to open the door even when car is in motion.
Apart from this, on the other side of the world, BMW gears up for launch of the X5 in India, scheduled to take place tomorrow. The third generation BMW X5 made its India debut at the 2014 Auto Expo earlier this year. New BMW X5 is to be made available in five and seven seat body styles will see no changes in its engine configuration and will continue with a 3.0 liter diesel engine seen on board the 530d. This engine is capable of 258 hp at 4,000 rpm and 560 Nm torque at 1,500 to 3,000 rpm while being mated to an 8 speed automatic gearbox.
BMW X5 will be produced at the company Spartanburg facility in US and will come into India as a CKD unit to be assembled at the company plant in Chennai. BMW X5 will compete with other premium SUVs such as Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7 and the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. Company dealers have already started accepting bookings for the X5 with a down payment of INR 5 lakhs, while estimates peg prices of the X5 ranging from INR 69-73 lakhs.
