Automakers have been quietly burying the clutch pedal for years, and BMW — one among its last serious defenders — has not exactly been shy in regards to the prognosis. Based on the Drive, M division boss Frank van Meel told reporters as recently as February that, from a pure engineering standpoint, the manual “doesn’t really make sense,” and that keeping it alive into the following decade can be “quite difficult.”
In order that’s it, right? The three-pedal BMW is finished? Not so fast. Just days ago, BMW M’s Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales, Sylvia Neubauer, told German trade publication Automobilwoche something that enthusiasts have been waiting to listen to. Based on Motor1, her message was direct: BMW’s engineers are actively working on an answer to maintain the manual gearbox available, and the corporate “guarantees an answer.”
No technical specifics were offered, however the statement alone matters. Lately, the manual transmission’s obituary has been written more times than anyone cares to count. Consequently, only a number of brands are still offering manuals in 2026, however it looks as if Munich hasn’t given up the fight just yet. We break down exactly what BMW is up against — and the way it would thread the needle.
The fate of the BMW stick shift
The core problem BMW faces with the manual is not customer demand — it’s physics and economics. The present six-speed gearbox caps out at a torque threshold that today’s M engines are increasingly pushing past. For example, BMW offers the BMW M2 as each a manual and an automatic. Nonetheless, for the top-spec track-focused 2026 BMW M2 CS, Munich ditched the manual since it couldn’t go any higher than 500 horsepower.
Even when taking a look at the usual M2, you possibly can see that the automated M2 produces 37 pound feet more torque than the manual version of the identical automobile — a deliberate detuning to maintain the gearbox from failing under load. BMW is not hiding this; it’s already using it as a quiet workaround. That workaround may turn out to be the official strategy with BMW intentionally managing engine output in manual-equipped models going forward. Specifically, the manual transmission in BMW M models cannot meet BMW’s requirements while handling greater than 473 hp and 406 lb-ft.
This implies allowing the present gearbox architecture to stay viable without requiring an all-new transmission, a development cost that the low-volume global manual market simply cannot justify. It’s because BMW’s suppliers are growing less willing to fabricate gearbox components if the market incentive is not there. The result’s an organization doing engineering gymnastics to preserve something it clearly still wants.
The larger picture
To grasp why BMW is fighting this tough, it helps to take a look at who’s actually buying these cars — and what happens when the stick goes away. The numbers, at the very least within the U.S., are hard to dismiss. Based on Motor1‘s annual manual transmission sales survey, 40 percent of M2 buyers and 50 percent of Z4 buyers within the U.S. selected the manual in 2025. Amongst rear-wheel-drive M3 and M4 buyers specifically — the one configurations where the manual is even offered — take rates hit 50 and 33 percent, respectively.
Those are usually not fringe numbers. In addition they represent a slight dip from 2024, when the recently introduced manual BMW Z4 showed no signs of dying and the M2 sat near 50 percent. Still, the trend line is price watching because BMW M manual take rates were broadly down in 2025 in comparison with the prior 12 months, at the same time as another brands saw increases. The stakes extend beyond sales charts.
A manual BMW within the U.S. is more a way of life statement — not a budget alternative, but a deliberate one. The cautionary tale already exists: when Mini dropped its JCW manual, sales fell by greater than 30 percent. For BMW, losing the three-pedal faithful is not only a transmission query. It is a brand query that risks alienating an enormous a part of its customer base. The one query that is still is whether or not BMW’s manual enthusiasts are willing to sacrifice power for the third pedal.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
