First Official BMW 5-Series GT Photos Surface

I normally can comfortably say I understand the automotive industry pretty well. Sometimes, though, that sense of security shows through as being a little thin, a little optimistic.  It's times like this where I raise my hands and profess, "I don't get it."

What the world really needed was a hatchback BMW 5-series. Apparently.  And the good news is, now we have one!  These are the first official (leaked) photos of the upcoming BMW 5-series GT (GranTurismo), which is... a 5-door 5-series hatchback!

Yeah, I don't get it either.  As you can tell from the cheesy watermarks, we have automobile-magazine France to thank for the leakage of these embargoed photographs.  What we can see from them is that... this is one seriously awkward looking car.  I tend to say "maybe it'll grow on me" about most recent BMW designs, but I just don't think I'll hold my breath for this one.  It looks like quasimodo.

The interior is somewhat of a return to form for BMW, though, with the classic four-dial display and more driver-centric interior layout reminescent of Bimmers of yore.  And plus, you can't see how awful this car looks from the inside.

The 5-series GT (and hopefully it's regular-looking sedan counterpart) will be debuting at the Frankfurt Auto Show this fall, so keep your eyes peeled.  Or closed, depending on how you feel about this.