BMW built its brand on creating “the ultimate driving machine.” For much of its storied lineage, that meant vehicles with manual transmissions. However, BMW is not immune to trends affecting the rest of the industry. Buyers have drifted towards crossovers with automatic gearboxes, so when the current-gen M2 sports coupe debuted in 2023, there was ample speculation that it would be BMW’s last six-speed stick. But recent comments from a BMW M executive suggest that may not be the case.
- Base Trim Engine
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3.0 twin-turbocharged straight-six
- Base Trim Transmission
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6-Speed Manual
- Base Trim Drivetrain
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Rear-Wheel Drive
BMW Is Not Ruling Out Another Manual Transmission Car
BMW Blog spoke to Sylvia Neubauer, the BMW M Division’s Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales. She confirmed two key facts about BMW manual transmissions: there are no plans to remove them from BMW’s current lineup, and BMW is not ruling out including them in future models.
“For the current model lineup, we always have ideas in mind to bring more manuals into certain markets in a certain quantity because we know that there are manual transmission lovers out there. Yes, we will keep you happy. I think BMW will always be very creative. We can always think about it [M car with a manual transmission]. BMW M is a rather entrepreneurial company of very passionate M guys. So if our engineers can make it happen, I think they will always try to do so.”
-Sylvia Neubauer, per BMW Blog
The State Of BMW Manual Transmissions
BMW has clung to the manual transmission longer than most. Audi did away with them, not to mention Mini, which ironically exists as part of the BMW family. But the manuals available in BMW’s lineup have dwindled. Current offerings are down to the M2, M3/M4, and a newly added manual option for 2025 on the Z4. But that will soon change.
We know the Z4 is scheduled to leave production in 2026. The current G80 M3 is expected to end production in 2027, with an updated combustion version coexisting alongside a new Neue Klasse electric model. Moreover, BMW Blog predicts that the combustion M3 model will not offer a manual.
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Will BMW Offer A Manual In The 2030s?
Current M2 production should run its course in 2029. It’s not clear what happens with the manual transmission for BMW beyond that. Customer demand is likely to play a key role. The M Division has a fervent fan base in the United States. Feedback from those customers was a major reason BMW introduced the M5 Touring wagon to America. The other issue, as BMW execs have noted in the past, is suppliers. As manual transmissions dwindle, the number of suppliers making components for them also declines. Trying to launch a new manual transmission car in 2030, no matter how strong the desire is to have one, might be more trouble than it’s worth.
Sources: BMW Blog, Top Gear
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