The M4 Will Be The Last Manual Transmission BMW
The manual is soon becoming extinct, we all know that already, but do we now just how fast the automatic transmission is taking over? According to BMW, it might be sooner than we expected, as their upcoming BMW M4 could be the last BMW to have a manual transmission.
BMW development board boss Klaus Frohlich has confirmed that the F82 M4 will come with a clutch pedal.
“I think it should survive in the next generation of M4…so my promise is, yes, there will be a manual in the successor to M4,” he said.
“I think, in the overall portfolio, manuals will disappear. But I think M4 should be the fortress of manual. So the last manual transmission which will die, it should die in an M4, as late as possible.”
Unfortunately, low demand for manual gearboxes is causing this extinction. The investment of money into manual gearboxes won’t see a return, especially when they need to be able to cope with such high engine outputs. Because of this, it’s no surprise that automakers such as BMW aren’t going to push further into this technology.
“No transmission partner will do that [develop a manual] with us,” Frohlich adds.
There is a chance that the manual ‘box will survive the later versions of the M4, but we highly doubt it. Especially as the push for hybrid and all-electric power will certainly be at the forefront of automakers’ minds. :et’s just hope we can keep older manuals on the road. It’s up to us to look after them now.
