BMW M: Want a manual? Buy it now while you still can

At last update, in November 2023, the list of available manual cars in Australia stood at six small SUVs, one small hatch and one small sedan (what?!), one medium SUV, two large off-road SUVs and, thankfully, 24 performance models.

Advice

Won't somebody please think of the manuals! It's a fast-shrinking list, but at least it's still long enough to deserve an article

This week, famously outspoken BMW board member Frank Weber has told Italian paper Quattroruote that he likes manuals as much as the next rower, but there's not much of a business case for them anymore. And, as a board member, the business case is his main priority.

It's not only falling sales spelling an end to the manual, however. As more and more cars go electric, including BMW M, there's simply no practical place for the manual.

News

M’s first EV might take inspiration from the Ioniq 5 N in order to win over petrol heads

“I like the way they think,” van Meel said when asked about the Ioniq 5 N’s ‘gearbox’. “If you need eight gears, I'm not sure… But it's one solution because what's really clear is that if you drive on the track, and we always come from racing with M, there's no time to look at the speedometer to see how fast you are going."

Comparison

Straight-sixes, six-speed manuals and rear-wheel drive – it doesn’t get much better than this, especially when one costs quite a bit less than the other

Source: Quattroruote via Motor1

Opinion

Things are certainly looking grim for the manual, but the way to save it is simple.

Daniel DeGasperi

Speaking with Autocar, BMW M division boss Frank van Meel admits, “From a technical standpoint, the future doesn’t look bright for manual gearboxes.”

“The DCT and auto ’boxes are faster and they have better fuel consumption,” he adds.

“It’s difficult to say we’ll stick to the manual, but we still have a big fan community for manuals and we are not going to take away something the customer wants to have.”

Some fans may love the DIY-shifter, but at least in Australia it seems buyers don’t. BMW Australia has confirmed that only one per cent of current BMW M3 and M4 buyers are picking the six-speed manual over the no-cost-option seven-speed dual-clutch