BMW has confirmed its commitment to internal combustion with an all-new modular engine family. The three- and four-cylinder Efficient Dynamics petrols and diesels are said to be more efficient, smoother and more powerful than any BMW units to date.

Despite speculation that these engines would make their debut on the forthcoming BMW 5 Series, powertrain head Dominic Spanring confirmed to Auto Express that they would not be fitted to the new 5 Series at launch. “We are talking about years not months with these engines. The new 5 Series will use updated versions of current engines for now”. BMW's all-new 5 Series will be revealed in September and go on sale in early 2017.

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The modular family is therefore more likely to debut first in the next-generation 3 Series in late 2017, and will then be rolled out across BMW and MINI’s future model ranges. The company is claiming a 5 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, an average 7bhp power boost and around 20Nm more torque than the existing engines these units replace.