Sources inside the Bavarian firm have confirmed that BMW is preparing a four-wheel-drive version of the 2012 M5.

The 2012 BMW M5 itself is yet to be revealed in its final production form as we’ve only seen it in concept form at the Auto Shanghai 2011. The looks of the finished product should be virtually the same as the concept, and there’s no doubt the M5 will use the same biturbbo V8 as in the X5M and X6M with more than 560 hp. But technical specs of the car are yet to be confirmed.

And what everybody is now waiting to know is if it comes with 4WD. According to Autocar, BMW is mulling a four-wheel-drive M5 to set new standards in the high-performance sedan segment in terms of handling and stability. Plus, it can have the edge over its rivals from Audi and Mercedes in that aspect too.

Same report says that a long wheelbase BMW M5 is not even going to be considered.