BMW Pledges To Keep The Manual Gearbox

BMW boss Frank Van Meel has vowed to keep the manual gearbox available for the foreseeable future
BMW Pledges To Keep The Manual Gearbox

The head of BMW Frank Van Meel, has said the firm will keep the manual alive given there’s still demand from its customers. The manual gearbox has been in danger of extinction for years, but the march towards electric has sped up its pace – Volkswagen will end production of manual cars in 2030, and Mercedes will do the same as early as 2023.

BMW’s pledge in an interview with Autocar, comes alongside the revelation that around 50 percent of BMW M2 sales are for the stick shift version, which Van Meel says is down to the fact that many customers prefer the “connection” allowing them “to demonstrate they can tame the beast – and that’s the point. We want to keep it.”

Interior image of 2023 BMW M2 test car with manual gearbox
Interior image of 2023 BMW M2 test car with manual gearbox

Van Meel considers a manual transmission part of the emotional appeal of M cars, with the new upcoming BMW M2 to be released with a six-speed stick shift option alongside an eight-speed automatic.

That’s despite the fact, as Van Meel puts it, that “from a technical viewpoint, there’s little reason to save it. It’s heavier, it’s slower and you get worse fuel consumption than the alternative. But the customer and the fanbase really love the manual.”

Sometimes the right answer isn’t necessarily the logical one – despite the drawbacks, changing gear the old fashioned way can be one of the most rewarding ways to drive a car. Let’s hope BMW stays true to its word and that the manual still has plenty of life left in it yet. That said, it’s hard to fathom how the manual could survive the EU’s shift to non ICE vehicles by 2035, unless BMW decides to manufacture its own simulated manual gearbox like Toyota’s.

Comments

Myrmeko (#CTSquad)

Manual is heavier? Since when and how?
On a DSG you have twice the clutches and on a torque converter gearbox you have that massive weight which is the torque converter.
Yeah, a CVT might be lighter, but that’s about it.
Robotised manual, definitely not.
And automated sequential still needs the torque converter.
Even stuff like the semi-auto from the Golf 3, the Ecomatic, which uses an electronicaly actuated clutch, still have the extra actuators on the clutch.

07/21/2022 - 19:01 |
1 | 0

Topics

Manufacturers

Sponsored Posts