It’s official, BMW lovers will continue enjoying manual transmissions on their BMW M line of models until 2030. This is according to Franciscus van Meel, the BMW M boss. Customers will have the option of using manual transmissions on their cars, despite the growing shift towards automatic transmissions.
While most car brands are doing their best to keep pace with the demand for automatic transmissions, BMW is one of the few automakers that still wants to provide its fans with a few models of manual vehicles. The brand promises to continue offering manual cars on the M2, M3, and M4 models. With this offer set to continue to the end of the decade, BMW fans have something to look forward to.
One interesting aspect of high-performance BMW cars that will continue to have manual transmissions is that many people will still want to race these cars. The BMW M2 series proves there’s much to expect from these high-performance manual models. It has a racier look with a specially tuned chassis. The car’s twin-turbocharged inline-six pumps deliver 453 horsepower.
What’s more, the new 2023 M2 has rear-wheel drive and features a standard 6-speed manual transmission. There’s a lot to be expected since its predecessor delivered an outstanding driving experience.
The new M2 also comes with more tech features than the previous version, indicating that BMW is not just preserving manual transmission but also upgrading the car’s tech aspects. Arguably, this is something that will impress most BMW fans.
According to Franciscus van Meel manual cars are no longer widespread in the market. However, BMW will continue offering manual transmissions in its M2, M3, and M4 models. He asserted that the cars will run for a long time since they will still be there until 2030.
Apparently, online campaigns and petitions played a part in influencing the decision to keep manual BMW cars. Timo Resch, BMW’s vice president of customer and sales, argued that customers held online petitions where they voted to keep manual transmissions. He added that the campaigns and petitions were quite convincing.
BMW’s executives gave the green light to the three-pedal gearbox citing that it all comes down to what the fans want. Well, they got what they asked for since the new M2 will be the last of its kind since it doesn’t feature any aspects of an electric car. While customers in the U.S. will enjoy what the M2 offers without spending more than they used to, clients in Germany will have to dig deeper into their pockets to own it.
It’s worth noting that the European Union has pushed to ban new diesel and petrol cars by 2035. As a result, this limits how long BMW and other automakers will retain their current gearboxes and engines. Despite this, Resch noted that “save the manual” is a huge campaign in most markets, and many customers voted to keep the manual. Of course, customers understand that manual transmission isn’t as fast as automatic transmission, but because they want to keep the three-pedal gearbox, it’s important to deliver.
BMW’s competitors are gradually phasing out the production of manual cars. For instance, Mercedes-Benz looks to discontinue its production of these cars in 2023. However, Honda, Mazda, Porsche, and Toyota might continue to compete alongside BMW in providing customers with high-performance manual cars.
Arguably, the promise to keep manual cars until 2030 is good news for car enthusiasts who love old-fashioned power and driving feel. While there’s a lot that might change throughout the decade, BMW fans will have something to look forward to as they drive manual cars while they still can.
