With electrification looming, the manual gearbox is on its last legs. Increasingly sophisticated driver assistance and safety systems are also accelerating the clutch pedal’s demise. The fact that the stick shift’s take rate continues to fall isn’t helping either. Despite these trends, BMW isn’t giving up on offering three pedals in M cars.
During the Le Mans weekend, BMWBLOG chatted with Sylvia Neubauer, M’s Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales, about whether manuals have a future. Although the performance division isn’t firmly committing to keeping the 6MT alive for the long haul, it’s not closing the door either:
“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.”
While Sylvia was referring to the prospects of a next-gen M car with a stick, she told us BMW isn’t done with the manual in existing products:
“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.”
Not that this comes as a surprise, but during the same interview, we learned BMW won’t put a manual in Neue Klasse cars. Consequently, don’t expect to row your own gears in the electric M3 (“ZA0”). A clutch pedal in the next-gen gas model (“G84”) is a definite maybe, but it’s certainly not planned for its zero-emission cousin.
In the meantime, the current M2, M3, and M4 are likely to keep their manuals until the very end. The “G87” is expected to remain in production until the second half of 2029. The two larger M cars will be retired sooner, as the “G80” is likely to bow out in 2027 to make way for its “G84” replacement. As for the “G82,” the coupe is reportedly going to be retired the following year. We’ve previously reported that BMW may not do another M4 with a gas engine, as the ICE-powered 4 Series is unlikely to be renewed.
It’s too early to know what the future holds for the M2 beyond its second generation. Having a follow-up model through the 2030s with a manual would be great, but we don’t have a crystal ball. We do know that BMW is considering upgrading the current “G87” with xDrive and possibly even a CSL.