Despite carmakers dropping the manual gearbox left and right, it seems like the manual transmission will continue to live on with BMW M, according to a report by Top Gear. This is thanks to sufficient demand received by the performance division for the clutch pedal, making it financially viable for the M division to continue making them.
Globally, the manual gearbox can be found in the BMW M2, as well as the entry-level M3 and M4. According to the German carmaker, around 15 to 20% of sales for the M3 and M4 in 2023 are contributed by variants equipped with manual gearboxes. In fact, more than half of M2s sold in the US are manuals.
BMW told Top Gear that the demand is “definitely enough” to continue to offer the manual gearbox and that the company owes it to themselves and their fans all around the world.
However, the manual gearbox won’t be around forever, as BMW M will only be making manual gearboxes as long as this generation of the M models is around. Even the dual-clutch transmissions weren’t spared in the BMW universe. Moving forward, torque converters will be the gearbox of choice for M cars till the day electrification completely takes over. We could only be talking about a time period of five to six years here.
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“The double clutch, from BMW M’s point of view these days, it’s gone,” BMW M Development Head Dirk Hacker told Top Gear. “It’s now manual or automatic, and automatic electrified for the future.”
In Malaysia, none of the BMW M models offered here are available with a manual gearbox, at least officially speaking. We Malaysians are the only ones to be blamed here, as the idea of buying a car with a clutch pedal can only go as far as staying in our minds, mouths, and keyboards. But when it comes to actually buying one, not many are willing to pay up. Do you still drive a car with a manual gearbox? Let us know in the comments!
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