Dates not specified
In an interview with Italian magazine Quattroruote, BMW board member Frank Weber confirmed that the future of manual transmissions looks bleak.
There are interesting products, but let's be honest, sales volumes are getting smaller and smaller. And therefore it no longer makes sense to develop them. If you want a BMW M with a manual transmission, you'll have to buy it now.
Frank Weber
BMW said that in the past, customer preferences led the company to continue offering manual transmissions. In America, the company currently offers the M2, M3 and M4 models with a six-speed manual transmission. According to BMW, in countries such as the UK, only the M2 is offered with a manual transmission due to a lack of demand in larger cars.
«We have clients who drive 25,000–30,000 kilometers a year and don’t want to be stuck in traffic while changing gear», — Weber added.