Pictures of the new BMW M5 have leaked online ahead of the car going on sale later this year.

The images show, unsurprisingly, that the production version of the M5 will be sticking closely to the look of the ‘design proposal’ that was shown at the Shanghai motor show. It’s wearing the most aggressive bodykit of any of the current ‘F10’ generation of the 5-series, with unique bumpers front and rear plus fat sill extensions. Wheelarches have been extended to cover a wider track, and at the back the new M5 keeps with the trademark quad exhaust tailpipes of its recent predeccesors.

Although no further technical details have dropped we know that the M5 is going to be powered by a twin-turbocharged version of BMW’s ‘S63’ engine – as already seen in the BMW X5M and X6M. With at least 552bhp to call on, performance will be even better than the previous generation version, but BMW also claims this M5 will consume up to 20 percent less fuel. Drive will be via a seven-speed twin-clutch transmission – a manual box is likely for the US market – and BMW insiders have confirmed the M5’s dynamic brief is to combine handling with better ‘everyday’ road manners than the old car.

We’ll bring you more details as soon as we get them – but in the meantime you can check out Chris Harris’s video of driving the prototype version on a frozen lake.