When the i5 Touring debuted earlier this month, the official images depicted BMW’s first-ever electric wagon in a veritable winter wonderland. Today, BMWBLOG can share some behind-the-scenes images along with juicy details about what it took to shoot the new 5 Series wagon in Ålesund, a municipality in Norway.

The i5 eDrive40 along with the 520d xDrive wagons were shipped from Munich using two trucks that covered more than 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) over four days. The wagon duo spent about 20 hours on the Kiel to Oslo ferry. The trip took place last December, shortly before Christmas. Why Norway? Primarily for its wonderful landscape, especially in the cold season, but also because it’s a country where EVs are popular.

The photographers got lucky with the weather as aside from an abundance of snow, there were also some sunny, albeit short days – perfect for adding a great variety to the press images. Some of the photos were taken in remote areas with only a handful of people around, next to the Atlantic Ocean. The team spent a total of eight days shooting the new 5 Series Touring and its electric sibling, having to endure the predictably freezing temperatures of Norway.

The main shooting area was around the well-known surfer beaches Hoddevik and Ervik, as well as Vestkapp, the most westerly point on the Norwegian mainland.  The end result is nothing short of spectacular, even if you’re not a big fan of the car’s design. Although BMW wanted the photographers to focus on the standard 520d xDrive and the i5 eDrive40 with M Sport Package, the new 5 Series Touring (G61) is available in several other versions.

The German luxury automaker also sells a rear-wheel-drive 520d, the 530e plug-in hybrid with or without all-wheel drive, along with the six-cylinder 540d and the mighty dual-motor i5 M60. Later this year, the M5 Touring (G99) with its brawny V8 engine will become the crown jewel of the lineup.

[Photos: @oliversoldfotografie  @fabian_kirchbauer freddiemeadows.com]