The BMW 5 Series sedan was introduced for the first time in 1972. The model was designated as E21 and it derived its power from a 2.0 Liter engine which had four cylinders. The car had a simple suspension in the front and a single body. The new sedan was the first of the BMW cars to have an engine with four cylinders and the car was first only available in Europe. In 1975, the Sedan made its debut in the United States, and was numbered the 530i. It was powered by a 3.0 Liter engine having a catalytic converter. In 1977, the front of the BMW sedan was changed and in the following year the lights at the back were changed. In 1979 the sedan got a new engine, with the 2.8 Liter replacing the 3.0 Liter engine. In 1982, the second generation BMW 5 Series sedan made its appearance. This was numbered the E28. The new car front roof and doors were changed a bit compared to the earlier model. All these changes meant that the new car was lighter than the earlier model by 200 pounds. The car got a new 2.7 Liter engine. In 1983, a new four door sedan numbered 533i powered by a 3.2 Liter engine that had six cylinders. The car had Michelin tires and anti-lock brakes. In 1985, a third sedan model came onto the market, which was powered by a 3.4 Liter Engine manufactured by SOHC. There was also a sedan powered by a diesel engine which was numbered the 524td. The diesel sedan stayed on the market for two years, by then a new sedan made its mark.

In 1989, the third generation 5 Series sedan made its appearance on the world market. The new vehicle was called the E34 and it had more space, new body and better looks. It came in two versions, the 525i which had a SOCH 2.5 Liter engine and a 535i, which had a 3.5 Liter engine. In 1990, the sedan got an airbag for the driver and a system to check on whether the vehicle would not roll over. In 1994, the 535i was replaced by a sedan that was numbered 530i which was powered by a 3.0 Liter V8 Engine which had five automatic gears. In 1997, the fourth generation BMW 5 made its debut. The new model was longer and lighters than its predecessor, as a number of its components were made of aluminum. The new vehicle came in two versions, each deriving its power from different engines. There was one engine with six cylinders and one with a V8 Engine. The former could be bought with a gear system that had five automatic or manual gears, whereas the latter had a gear system which had five automatic or six manual gears. In 1999, the sedan got airbags on the side. Apart from minor changes to the equipment, no major changes were made to the sedan until 2004, when a new car made its debut.

In 2004, the fifth generation BMW 5 Series sedan made its appearance. The new model got a bit bigger and had more room inside for passengers to sit. This model came in three versions. They were the 525i and 530i which are powered by a six cylinder engine and a new model numbered 545i which had a 4.4 Liter engine. The model lineup was expanded to five in 2007; the 525i, 525xi, 530i, 530xi and 550i. While the models having the numbers 525 and 530 are powered by a 3.0 Liter engine, the 550 series gets a 4.8 Liter V8 engine.