BMW M models to ditch manual gearboxes? – Car Keys

In modern cars, the automatic transmission is the more fuel-efficient option. But today, that’s not the case, and the performance vehicle brands have taken notice.

As for the manual transmission, Van Meel said that the DCT and auto gearboxes used in many BMW cars are “faster and have better fuel consumption”. On one hand, it isn’t as good technically and he can’t guarantee it’ll stick around, but he also says that they have a huge fan base for manuals and they “are not going to take away something the customer wants to have”.

That comes as somewhat inevitable news for the dedicated self-shifter.

Talk of a manual-free M range has kept fans applying the Deep Heat to chilled spines for sometime now, with previous BMW M Friedrich Nitschke often advocating a switch to dual-clutch transmissions exclusively.

While the near-term future of the manual gearbox is secure for M Division models, the CEO warned in an Autocar report that “the future doesn’t look bright”, potentially signalling H-pattern M cars might not see the 2020s.

“We’re at the limit”, Mr van Meel added, “If you go on adding more horsepower and torque, it’d probably be over the limits”.

Van Meel said that as far as horsepower, “We’re at the limit”. It may come down to whether buyers continue to vote for manuals with their wallets. The X5 and X6 M SUVs bring forth 575 horsepower.