For a few years now, BMW has been warning the public that its manual transmission offerings will soon disappear. It feels like that, lately, whenever someone asks an M executive about the future of the stick shift, and they usually give the same answer: You’ve got until the end of the decade, then it’s gone for good.
Let me give you a few examples. Back in 2022, M boss Frank Van Meel told CarBuzz that BMW would keep the manual around until 2030. One year later, Dirk Hacker, M’s head of development, reiterated that timeline, telling Top Gear that the manual would be around for seven more years. Things got a bit more real in 2024, when Van Meel, in an interview with Italian magazine Quattroruote, warned buyers that if they wanted a manual M car, “you need to buy it now.”
It’s 2026, and Van Meel hasn’t changed his tone. Just yesterday, Australian site CarSales published an interview with the M boss, and in it, he spoke on the unlikeliness of the stick shift’s survival into the 2030s:
“It’s going to be quite difficult in the future to develop completely new gearboxes because the segment in the market is quite small, and the suppliers are not so keen on doing something like that.
“So we’re still happy with the manuals we have and we plan to keep them for the next couple of years, but in future, probably it’s going to be more difficult to keep the manuals alive, especially in the next decade.”
Going by M’s consistency when asked about the stick shift, it feels like the company made up its mind about the manual dying years ago, and plans to wind it down as production of its current cars ends, and new models take over. But the thing is, manual BMW buyers aren’t going away, at least in the United States. According to data obtained by Motor1, 50% of M3 buyers, 50% of Z4 buyers, 40% of M2 buyers, and 33% of M4 buyers in the U.S. opted for the manual transmission in 2025.
If BMW only sold cars in America, those figures might be enough to convince management to keep the manual alive. Alas, BMW is a global company that builds its cars for multiple markets, making it tougher to engineer a car to accept a manual just to appease a relatively small demographic in one country.
BMW’s Reasoning Isn’t Exactly Bulletproof
Aside from sales figures, BMW cites a couple of other reasons why the manual won’t make it past 2030. More from CarSales:
“From an engineering standpoint, the manual doesn’t really make sense because it limits you in torque and also in fuel consumption,” said Van Meel.
While I think he has a point regarding fuel consumption—it’s pretty tough for a six-speed gearbox to compete with a quicker-shifting eight-speed auto, all other things equal—I think Van Meel is forgetting recent history concerning how much power its existing gearbox designs can take.
The cars I mentioned above all use the same six-speed manual, a ‘box built by German supplier ZF codenamed GS6-L55TZ. Hacker told BMW Blog last year at Le Mans that this gearbox can’t handle more than 473 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque and still meet the company’s durability requirements.
That explains why, on cars like the M3 and M4, BMW limits power and torque on the manual versions to 473 hp and 406 lb-ft, while the eight-speed auto-equipped cars are rated at 503 horsepower and 443 lb-ft. For the M2, power is the same 473 horses whether you go manual or auto, but torque is reduced on the six-speed, from 443 lb-ft to 406 lb-ft.
So far, this reasoning makes sense as to why BMW plans to drop the manual. As its cars get more powerful, the gearbox they have on hand simply won’t be able to handle the twist anymore. And because the market for stick shifts is so small, the company doesn’t want to pay a supplier to develop an entirely new gearbox to handle more torque. Except that BMW doesn’t need to develop a new gearbox, because it already has a design that can handle more torque.
Those familiar with manual BMW lore will know that the most powerful production BMWs to be offered with a stick shift were the M5s and M6s built between 2012 and 2016 and equipped with the Competition package, which bumped output from the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 to 591 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. These cars used a prior iteration of that ZF-built gearbox, codenamed GS6-53BZ. Going by these power ratings, this older ‘box can handle an extra 102 horsepower and 100 lb-ft of torque, but it does look quite a bit larger, going by company diagrams.
Here’s the modern ‘box:
And the old one from the M5 and M6:
Despite the size differences, theoretically, if BMW wanted a gearbox that could take up to 516 lb-ft of torque, it wouldn’t have to pay to get a new one developed. It could just call up ZF and have them restart production of the design it already has on file, if it can make enough room in the firewall of its next-gen cars.
I Have Another Solution
In the world of modern German performance cars, 516 lb-ft of torque isn’t all that much. The current M5 makes 738 lb-ft thanks to its hybrid assistance, while extreme CS-badged versions of the M2, M3, and M4 are closing in on 500 lb-ft already. Because the graph always has to go up and to the right, it only makes sense that these cars will be pushing bigger numbers for the next generation. So even if BMW decides to put that old M5 gearbox back into production, it probably wouldn’t be enough to handle the power.
My recommendation? Simply look outside of Germany. Modern manual transmissions that pair to a front-engine, rear-drive configuration are pretty rare these days, but there’s one Mexico-based supplier that’s been cranking out amazing six-speeds that can handle big power numbers for years: Tremec.
General Motors’ only two manual-equipped cars, the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and the CT5-V Blackwing, use the latest version of Tremec’s long-standing TR6060 six-speed, which has been around in various forms since the late 2000s, when it replaced the iconic T56. The TR6060 has appeared in many of America’s most iconic sports cars of the past 15 or so years, like the Viper, the Corvette, the Camaro, the Mustang Shelby GT500, and Dodge’s Hellcats.
The CT5-V Blackwing is the torquiest of that bunch, rated at 659 pound-feet at the crank. That’s way more than the 500 pound-feet from that old ZF ‘box, and a far more appropriate number for a new German super saloon.
If you’re doubtful that a gearbox normally used by American brands can live up to the high standards of smoothness and shift satisfaction required by a German automaker like BMW, I can tell you from experience that it definitely can. The CT5-V Blackwing is phenomenal to drive for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest is the silky-smooth action of its shifter. Among the few cars left on sale today with stick shifts, it’s one of the most satisfying to use.
If even that’s not enough, Tremec offers another version of the TR6060 called the Magnum, which can handle up to 700 lb-ft of torque.
And if fuel economy is imperative, Tremec still offers the TR6070, the seven-speed manual first seen on the C7-generation Corvette. Depending on the gear ratios you go for, that gearbox can withstand up to 635 lb-ft of torque.
This wouldn’t even be the first time BMW shared gearboxes with General Motors vehicles. Starting in 1991, BMW sourced automatic transmissions from GM for use in cars like the 3-Series, 5-Series, 7-Series, and 8-Series. This exchange remained for some cars, like the E90-generation 3-Series, into the 2010s. So there’s some precedent here.
I know I use the word “simple” in the headline, which feels far-fetched considering how much time and effort are required to develop a modern vehicle that can meet worldwide safety and emissions standards. But between paying to have a whole new gearbox developed and going across the pond to ask Tremec to supply one of its transmissions, the latter certainly feels more viable.
C’mon BMW. Don’t give up on the manual just yet. There are so many avenues you can take to keep enthusiasts happy.
Top graphic images: BMW; Tremec
Is that an auto off with a manual in the Z4? WHAT?! I thought that was just annoying for automatic only. How does that even work lol
Over here in Europe every little shitbox has this miserable switch somewhere scattered on the dashboard. As soon as you’re in neutral and release the clutch, the engine stops. It restarts when you get in gear again.
So it’s getting in your muscle memory: Get in, fasten the seatbelt, start the car, hit the button for switching the start-stop off. If you’re more invested in your sanity, you can find someone with the right software to code that crap out (or even smarter: reverse the switch logic so you still have it for the roadworthiness inspection).
The only car I’ve used with stop/start was a (diesel) hire van and I liked it. Mind you, I always go into neutral at traffic lights, so I guess I’m predictable enough for the computer to keep up.
Yeah – they work much better on a manual than an auto from my experience as well. Take the car out of gear and release the clutch – engine stops. Foot back on the clutch and the engine starts whilst you’re going in to 1st. Works much better than being based on the brake pedal application as per autos.
Having driven dozens of manuals with it fitted I’ve never seen the need to switch it off in normal driving.
Interesting, that is how I imagined it would work, but that must feel and be so weird.
The first time I came to a stop in a hire van, and the engine ‘stalled’ I found it very weird. Within a few more traffic lights though I started to love it. The engine was off when I was stopped, and it started right up every time I went to put it into gear.
When I got back into my car it seemed so wasteful for the engine to be sat there wasting fuel when I was just waiting for the light to change.
I think it probably works a lot better in a manual, because the computer has the combination of the clutch and when you’re in neutral to know when you don’t need the engine on. The Vauxhall I was in seemed to restart the engine as soon as I touched the clutch, so it was ready to go as soon as I was in gear.
It can also be defeated by using the BimmerCode app to set the car to start in Sport-mode. Auto Start/Stop is disabled in Sport-mode.
Interesting, I didn’t know this was a thing. I will have to try this out on my X3.
I will say I know this works on GR Supra’s and Z4’s, not 100% certain it will translate to other cars with newer electronics. I hope it works for you. When you put your car in Sport mode today does it automatically disable the Start/Stop? If so, this method should work for your X3.
Depending on the year of your car you may be able to disable Auto Stop/Start without having the car start in Sport mode.
On the GR Supra’s this changed sometime mid-2023 with a software update and from then on the only way you could disable Start/Stop was by starting the car with Sport mode.
Yeah, it does. My wife always turns on sport mode when she drives. I need to get one of the reader things I guess for it to connect with that I’ll try it since I drive more like a grandpa these days (usually) unless the roads are clear and I enjoy the mountain roads.
Have you seen the level of hideousness they are approving for the exterior design and ballooning weight? Obviously we can’t expect their management to make good choices moving forward.
My son just turned 13. I was saying to him that he was only 3 years from (potentially) learning to drive. Then I said “the only question is whether you learn to drive stick.”
“Pfft! Of course!” said my wife.
I…really love my wife.
So, only having 500-700ish hp/ftlbs is the issue?
Why not stop making each successive generation of car bigger/heavier, more complicated, and (of course) more expensive?
Then 500-700ish hp/ftlbs ought to be sufficient, and they can keep using the manuals they’ve already engineered.
100%! It makes me crazy when EVERY new gen of a vehicle is bigger. Take the Tacoma and look how much it has grown. The current Taco is about the same size as the old Tundra with some variants being almost 10″ longer.
Meanwhile, autopians swapping their cars with whatever ZF fits.
Love a manual, but you can get a manual go-cart for kicks.
Excuse me it didn’t occur to me about off-road use MT.
Anyone think it is a good idea to buy their manual transmission equipment and patent and just build custom sports cars with retro bodies or one off in a 3d printer? Remember the Miata started as a low sales product until it caught fire.
We need Ask an expert. Sure an automatic transmission out performs in a day to day slog to work. But does it allow an average driver to beat a professional driver on a racetrack or pikes peak race? I don’t think it can
My guess is BMW made the decision to discontinue manual transmissions in a special meeting where consensus was reached, and corporate culture prevents revisiting it. Dear god don’t even bring it up, it will stall your career, we’ve moved on to other more important items, like heated seat subscriptions.
We all remember late ’70s GM when they decided front drive only for all divisions, all new car platforms except Corvette. It stuck for more than two decades, no one could change the decision, even with the Germans kicking the sh*&^% out of Cadillac, they still made the Allante front wheel drive. Any kindergarten student would’ve known an SL fighter had to be rear wheel drive. Doesn’t matter, it was in a meeting twenty years ago so let’s go ahead with this project that’s doomed.
The only way it changes is if an outsider comes in with a mandate — like Peter Schutz did at Porsche in 1981 when he famously changed the company’s decision to cancel the 911.
BMW simply can’t seem to accept that an M car is a “heart” purchase, not a “head” one.
What do you expect from Germans?
Sprockets! https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTLSSwcUR8oGZBR6CUYjfjGcQHVu_xFt3k2Zw&s
Would you like to touch my trunk monkey?
Well yeah they are German.
I love the 6MT in my M2. It’s not as good as a manual 911 or a manual Miata, but I still love it.
It’s very clear the car was designed for the automatic. I’m sure the automatic is the “better” car. But loving a manual isn’t rational.
Hey, at least you can still walk into a bmw dealership in 2026 and buy an m2, m3 or m4 with a 6mt without having to sacrifice your firstborn or sell any internal organs.
We’ve got to count our blessings!
Specifically in terms of Tremec, this was asked and answered by bmw years ago. Not happening.
I guess your sperm is considered far more desirable than mine. I can’t afford a 2026 model car let alone a real car
It’s not just the power that’s a problem, it’s the enormous weight. Reduce the weight, they also won’t need so much power.
But then you lose safety
There are plenty of safe cars that don’t weigh anywhere as much as these stupid panzers. Weight isn’t a help with safety, either, unless one relies purely on outsourcing the safety to whatever other car you murder as more weight means a stronger structure to mitigate force, which means more weight, which means a stronger structure….
My main point was in regard to the transmission strength excuse, though I could have been clearer in specifying that the resistance to acceleration that comes from the weight (and traction) also works against the durability of the transmission, not just the power.
I’ll never buy anything with a transmission (manual OR automatic) that changes gear ratios again if I can help it. Either no transmission at all (preferred) or a planetary-gear power-split if I must. I realize this makes me some sort of subhuman monster.
Once you’ve driven or ridden something with decent EV regen that just feels like it’s in the right gear all the time, it’s hard to go back to the old ways.
The wife’s Volvo EV has a pretty good regen calibration yet it’s as fun to drive as a toddler’s ride on toy car. Cars with no transmission will never be fun, that’s why a lot of sporty EVs nowadays are faking gear shifts.
To each their own. To me clipping apex after apex just right in a series of corners is what defines fun.
Definitely to each their own. I owned and drove some manuals, but only because they had actual advantages over an automatic… they were never fun for me, only a necessary kludge to get more performance or efficiency out of an engine. I don’t hate them, but they certainly don’t add anything to driving I could call “enjoyable,” and it’s been 20+ years since they added anything functional either.
I disagree the EV cars are nothing but high speed elevators on a horizontal plane. They don’t match car performance. Thank you for visiting none car people.
I like my Zero and my Buells, but I gotta say the Zero lets me focus on control and traction a lot more.
You know what else they could do? Drop 1000 lbs out of their cars and keep the power the same. Or less.
Auto Gear makes Muncie Rock Crushers in Syracuse, NY. https://autogearsyr.com/products/m22/
Those are cool and all, but they just seem….. expensive. You can get a TKX for cheaper, pick up an extra 100hp/tq rating, and an overdrive gear. Plus, from what I understand, most stuff that came with a muncie can fit a TKX with pretty minimal modifications.
Yeah I don’t think an upscale German car company would actually make a car with a four-on-the-floor no overdrive transmission from 1965 just because it can handle 500ish hp / Lb-ft.
Fully agree. Just pointing out I have no idea why anyone would even get that Auto Gear unit even if you had some old muscle car. I’ve been looking to upgrade my Saginaw 4 speed in my old truck; Muncies are cool because they are usually pretty cheap. They stop being cool when they are priced almost as much as a T56 Mag and a substantially cheaper TKX has a ton of benefits over it.
Sounds good to me so far…
Here’s another option. Get Tremec to build a factory for manual transmissions in the U.S. Then have them make a huge contribution and get somebody to whisper in the ear of our current administration that saving the manual will make America great again and before you know it, there will be an all-caps tweet about how America is bringing back the manual transmission so American citizens will have control over how their transmissions are shifted – like God intended.
From the communications I’ve observed, I’m thinking something like this could work to get the message across in the way that could be received positively, accompanied by a bribe, of course, like a receipt for purchase of trump coin or something: Manuel is not a Mexiacn! LiBrals R all wUss3s who cAnt dRive manuel and w0RseR milage is bAd 4 eNviRonmental! EuRope sisssies R outlawing manual! ManueL MaKe MeriCa gReaT aGin! L0nG livE his RoYal HigHness TRUMP!!!!!!!
I don’t get it?
The big question is how many buyers that opted for a manual would have bought the car if it was auto only. I imagine it’s more than none, but it seems like choosing the manual is pretty intentional at this point, so probably pretty far from most…
Both the Z4 and the Supra made sticks available later in the model runs. It would be interesting to see if that increased sales (i.e. people buying the car because a manual was available). You can also look in the other direction and see if the MK8 Golf R/GTI sales fell once they removed the manual as an option.
For me, it depends on the model. I’d be ok with an automatic M3 (still would buy the stick) because it’s a practical sedan/wagon. But an auto Supra is totally uninteresting to me.
Sales numbers for the manual Supra/Z4 would be really interesting here, particularly since sales usually drop off at the end of model runs.
The internet vibes say the Supra and Z4 are seeing renewed interest after years of being derided (Supra) or just plain ignored (Z4). But I know better than to believe hype from enthusiast circles.
I do wonder about the supra specifically, seems like there was a lot of yowling about the lack of a manual when it dropped.
The only way i would buy one is with a manual. I don’t care about numbers and, if it has an automatic, then I want it to be a floaty cruiser, not what BMW considers an acceptable ride.
What’s interesting is the sales of cars that are ONLY sold as manuals. It doesn’t seem to hinder them much when you don’t have dealers ordering/stocking autos because they’re “easier to sell”. A few that come to mind are the S2000, Civic Si and Type R, Viper, GT350, STi, GR Corolla (until now), 1M, Camaro Z/28.
I’m a little surprised by the difference in take rate for the M3 (50%) and M4 (33%) – if I had to guess I would’ve gone the other way.
Might be because M4’s include convertibles?
I find this statement hilarious, since BMWs shifters of the past 2+ decades have been widely agreed upon as some of the most uninspiring in the industry with a WIDE aftermarket developing to make them feel less sloppy.
Having driven virtually every modern BMW with a stick, that sentiment is wildly exaggerated. BMW shifters are great
Agreed.
Some people though prefer shifters that a are cable operated vs direct mechanism like bmws use.
I’ve had many manual bmws, their transmissions are just fine. And i’ve driven the 991.2 and 992.2 6mt gt3
I was fully ready to be disappointed by the stick in my M2 given the amount of internet/journalist hate.
It’s not as good as my old Miata or any 911, but it’s still lovely.
Having said that, I’ve never tried the Tremec in the American stuff, it may very well be better.
Werner Herzog narration: “The BMW executive would neither go towards a finding grounds at the edge of the fun nor return to the manual transmission. Shortly afterwards we saw him heading straight towards the Nürburgring, some seventy kilometers away. Dr Engly explained that even if we caught him and brought him back to the manual transmission he would immediately head right back for the Nürburgring… but why?… .He is heading of into the interior of the vast continent. The rules for the enthusiasts are do not disturb or hold up the BMW executive. Stand still and let him go on his way. With five thousands kilometers ahead of him, he is heading towards Nürburgring lap times, regardless of what the customers are asking for.”
BMW going to Tremec over ZF is blasphemy. Change my mind.
I’d rather blasphemy than no manual at all
Agree.. but there are German purists who would turn their noses up at such an idea. But yeah… save the manuals at any cost.
Blasphemy akin to the RB26-powered Mustang in Tokyo Drift.
But also do what needs to be done to keep manuals alive.
Well, it’s just a car and cars probably should not be religions. Even to the German purists. And if it’s not a religion, blasphemy is not possible.
BMW used some GM automatics from the early nineties through the aughts. That’s not too different from either choosing Tremec as a supplier or licensing one of their designs.
With all the automotive industry trouble Germany is having right now BMW’s executives would probably be marched out back, put to the wall, and shot by a firing squad made up of the union heads and various government officials if they dared to source a non-German manual transmission.
‘Tis a bit harsh… Why not just give them wedgies instead?
Because they’re German, and while ‘free trade’ on paper they’re very protectionist when it comes to many industries, including the auto industry.
While I’m no fan of Tesla I knew from the beginning building a factory in Germany was the wrong call, they should have built it in one of the former Soviet States IF they were going to build one in Europe at all.
With the declining sales of BEVs in general they should have just stuck with US production
BEV sales are not declining. BEV sales increased 29% in 2025 vs 2024 with a total of 2,850,000 sold. They made up 19% of new car sales in Europe.
BEVs made up 27% of BMW sales in 2025
It is Tesla sales that are declining (down 28% in Europe for 2025)
Imagine if they had built it in Russia or Ukraine….
The squad should probably go find out why all of ZF’s money is draining out into the Bodensee.
Cosigned obviously, and it’s interesting as someone who owns or has owned four different 6060s, including at least one from each of the Big 3, how differently they can be adjusted for smoothness, notchiness, clutch feel and so on. There’s zero doubt in my mind BMW could develop a version to their haughty specs if they would deign to look outside Germany for a transmission.
Alternate title “BMW needs to re-up their standard (transmissions)”