BMW shifts stance on manual transmissions

BMW has started the countdown to the end of the traditional manual transmission, despite comments only weeks ago it would keep the three-pedal option alive in its high-performance 'M' cars.

Comments from BMW Board of Management Member, Frank Weber – published in Italian automotive publication Quattroruote – suggest a decision to end the production of manual BMW cars has been made.

“It’s over,” Weber told Quattroruote.

“We have customers who travel 25-30,000 kilometres a year and don't want to stand in traffic changing gear.

“There are fun products, but let’s be honest, the volumes are getting smaller and smaller.

“And so, it doesn’t make sense to develop them anymore. If you want a manual M, you have to buy it now.”

Weber’s remarks contradict those of a BMW spokesperson who told UK publication Top Gear in January 2024 the brand saw a future in manual-equipped cars.

“We owe it to ourselves and of course to our fans all around the world,” the BMW spokesperson told Top Gear at the time, adding there was “definitely enough” customer demand for manuals among its M-division’s high-performance cars.

Based on BMW sales, this appears to be the case for the M2 coupe, with almost one-in-three sold in Australia in 2023 fitted with a six-speed manual transmission.

In the US, the proportion was even higher, with manuals outselling automatic versions of the M2, making up more than half of its sales.

This changes with the larger BMW M3 sedan and BMW M4 coupe, with the manual transmission only available in entry-level offerings, while higher-spec versions are restricted to automatic only.

The M2, M3 and M4 are the only BMWs currently available with manual transmissions in Australia, with all other vehicles in the German car maker’s showrooms exclusively automatic or battery-powered electric.

Renewed hope for manual fans came in January 2024 when BMW added a manual option for overseas buyers of its Z4 six-cylinder sports car – however, this version will not be offered in Australia.

The future of the three-pedal BMW was already limited given comments made by BMW CEO Frank van Meel in 2020, who said the manual would not continue beyond the current generation of M cars.

In addition to his latest comments, Weber has previously rejected the idea of a manual-like transmission for its electric cars, a view also shared publicly by BMW M head of engineering, Dirk Hacker.

Yet Toyota – which worked with BMW to develop the Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 sports car – has said it’s working on a manual gearbox for its electric vehicles.

Porsche, too, has confirmed it is working “to save the manuals” in its 911 and Boxster/Cayman sports cars after greater-than-expected sales demand for a third pedal in 2023.

British brand Aston Martin is another brand determined to continue offering manual versions of its cars as long as customer demand remains.

The majority of car makers continue to drop manual transmissions, even from enthusiast models such as the Volkswagen Golf GTI, which will be made in automatic only with the arrival of the next generation expected in 2025.