The #NextGen showcase in Munich isn’t all about tech placed under fresh, sharp profiles like the Vision M Next. There are also familiar shapes like this 5 Series, although this is no regular G30, not by a country mile.

This experimental unit is called the Power BEV, and tucked away under the skin are three of the automaker’s fifth-generation electric drive units, the likes of which will make its series production debut on the iX3, although that will only feature one drive unit of the type.

Here, the trio offers a combined total output of more than 710 hp. It’s all good enough to get the car to 100 km/h from standstill in under three seconds. As the numbers go, that’s fast, but the aim isn’t about outright speed in a straight line, but retaining that ability when the road starts to curve, the magic in this case coming courtesy of the drive layout.

The drive units – each with its electric motor and associated power electronics placed within a single housing – are configured with one mounted at the front axle and two (a double drive unit) at the rear axle.

The rear motors are controlled separately, which allows e-torque vectoring to be accomplished, enabling maximum drive power to be put into forward propulsion even when the twists start to arrive.

According to the automaker, the result is a more effective and precise delivery, with actively targeted inputs being possible in any driving situation compared to a regular limited slip differential, which reacts to a difference in rotation speed between the driven wheels.

The automaker says that despite the complexity of getting the entire electric drive system on to a production car, it was all managed with no restriction in passenger compartment space. As for the project, it has opened up possibilities of further exploring aspects of e-torque vectoring with two separately-controllable electric motors at the rear axle.