Today’s Auto Brief: BMW M5 Plays Dress-Up, and a Record-Breaking Holden Ute With Pontiac DNA

I started my morning coffee with two very different flavors of car news: Bavaria’s stealthiest super-sedan trying on a fake nose, and Australia’s most expensive road-going Holden ever—a brawny ute with a long shadow stretching all the way to Pontiac. One story is about camouflage and calibration; the other is a love letter to an entire car culture. Both say something about where enthusiast metal is headed.

BMW M5 Facelift: The Fake-Nose Camo and the Real Story

BMW’s current M5 (G90) is barely out of its honeymoon and it’s already sneaking around in disguise. The facelifted car has been spotted wearing a cheeky front-end costume that nods toward BMW’s Neue Klasse design language. It’s the test-car equivalent of a fake mustache—meant to throw you off the scent. When I slowed the footage frame-by-frame, the proportions and shut lines tell a different tale: this is an M5 LCI under there, not a clean-sheet EV sedan.

Why the masquerade? Because the present M5 sits in a curious place. It’s a plug-in-hybrid bruiser with a twin-turbo V8, and a battery big enough for quiet commutes yet small enough to keep the V8’s baritone near the surface. In my week with the G90 earlier this year, I noticed the two personalities clearly: tiptoe EV glide in the city, then a wall of torque and a surprisingly serene ride when you let it breathe on a fast interstate. On a tight, bumpy back road, the weight reminds you who’s boss—over 5,300 pounds is still 5,300 pounds—but the chassis is so buttoned-down you adapt quickly.

The facelift should logically touch:

• Lighting signatures and grille geometry (hence the “fake nose” to distract).
• Infotainment and driver-assist software—BMW always finds a few extra tweaks mid-cycle.
• Suspension calibration updates to better hide mass over sharp impacts.
• Possible efficiency refinements; don’t be shocked if EV-only range inches up a smidge.

Underneath, don’t expect a revolution. The current M5’s headline acts—massive combined output, a quick-shifting auto, and an all-wheel-drive system that’ll still let you play in 2WD—aren’t going anywhere. Around town, I loved the PHEV serenity for that early gym run; on an Alpine pass (and I did chase a sunrise through chilly switchbacks), the car shrank around me once the tires had a few corners to warm. You just drive the torque wave and let the brakes do their neat, blended regen thing on corner entry. It’s not a lightweight scalpel—more a titanium sledgehammer with fine knurling.

M5 Now vs Last Gen: The Quick Snapshot

Bottom line? The LCI’s theatrics are camouflage games. The real BMW story is continuity: keep the M5’s dual nature intact while sharpening the edges and smoothing the software. If you’re a city dweller who blasts upstate on weekends, the current car already suits that split life frighteningly well.

Australia’s Priciest Holden Road Car Ever: A Ute That Nearly Wore a Pontiac Badge

Across the equator, an Aussie icon has just rewritten the classic-car price list. The most expensive Holden road car ever sold is—fittingly—a ute. And not just any tray-back: the very breed that almost came to America as the Pontiac G8 ST before GM’s 2009 turmoil pulled the plug.

If you spent time in Australia during the VF era (I did, and I still remember the way the cabin smelled faintly of sun-warmed leather and eucalyptus from my mate’s driveway), you know the formula. Big-displacement V8 up front, rear-drive, properly sorted chassis, and a bed out back for surfboards, toolboxes, or an esky. The one that just set the record is the ultimate evolution of that recipe—end-of-line, supercharged, limited, and manual. It’s the kind of car that fires every synapse: Bathurst bravado with Bunnings practicality.

Why did it fetch a record sum? A few reasons:

• Provenance: last-of-the-line performance Holden/HSV products are sacred to Australian enthusiasts.
• Rarity: tiny production numbers and even fewer in this spec.
• Hardware: supercharged V8, six-speed manual, and the best of GM’s global Zeta know-how.
• What-if factor: it’s the same basic ute that nearly shipped to America as the Pontiac G8 ST.
• Cultural weight: with Holden’s manufacturing gone (2017) and the brand retired (2020), this is moving history you can blip-throttle.

I ran one of these utes over a ribbed country road west of Melbourne years ago. The way the rear axle puts power down on coarse-chip tarmac is delightfully old-school—there’s traction, but it still talks to you. Load a mountain bike in the back, toss a duffel on the passenger seat, and you’ve got the world’s most antisocial lifestyle vehicle. Park it at a valet in Sydney and you’re a folk hero; take it to a track day and you’re a noise complaint with plates.

Why These Two Stories Matter

They’re bookends. The M5 is the modern performance brief rewritten for a world that wants quiet mornings and loud afternoons. The record Holden is the distilled essence of analog fun, scarcity, and national identity, crystallized into auction paddles and goosebumps. One points to the future’s cleverness; the other proves memory still has market value.

For shoppers? If you commute in LA traffic and blast to Big Bear on weekends, the current M5’s PHEV calm and AWD security is an oddly perfect pairing. If you’re a collector, an HSV-bred ute from the swan-song era is real-deal metal with built-in nostalgia—and a usable bed for hardware-store runs. Your neighbors will forgive you. Eventually.

Quick Hits and Owner-Style Notes

• M5 infotainment: still a bit menu-deep for my taste; set your favorites and forget the rest.
• Charging the M5: a Level 2 overnight top-up keeps local errands petrol-free.
• Holden ute quirk: some tray covers rattle over corrugations—pack a bit of foam tape and you’re golden.
• Garage fit: the M5’s turning circle is friendly for a big sedan; the ute’s long bed needs a mindful reverse into tight urban car parks.

Conclusion

Camouflage can hide a grille, but not a car’s intent. The next M5 will be an evolution of a very complete idea. And as for the record Holden ute? That sale isn’t just a number—it’s a reminder that simple, charismatic machines still light up the room. Different paths, same destination: a big grin the moment the road opens up.

FAQ

When will the facelifted BMW M5 arrive?

BMW hasn’t announced timing, but mid-cycle updates typically land a couple of years after launch. Given the camo cars, an LCI in the near term is a safe bet.

What powertrain is in the current M5?

A plug-in-hybrid setup pairing a twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor, sending power through an automatic to an AWD system with a selectable 2WD mode.

Which Holden just set the road-car record, and why is it so valuable?

A limited, supercharged V8 performance ute from the end of Holden/HSV’s local-manufacturing era. Scarcity, provenance, and cultural resonance drove the price.

What happened to the Pontiac G8 ST?

It was the planned U.S. version of the Holden ute, canceled during GM’s 2009 restructuring. The what-if factor now adds cachet to surviving Aussie utes.

Will the M5 go fully electric soon?

BMW’s Neue Klasse EVs are coming, but the current M5 remains a hybrid. A fully electric M flagship sedan is likely a future chapter, not this facelift.