The magnificent BMW M4 Concept was unveiled earlier this month, at Pebble Beach and, as usual, the speculations revolving around the car went crazy, everyone saying one thing after another just to keep things interesting.
Some say that the new 3-liter 6-cylinder engine will have 3 turbos, some say that it will be twin-turbo, other people claim it will be having less power than the outgoing E92 M3 but they are all speculations.
The last rumor is rather concerning, especially for the die-hard BMW fan. According to autoblog, the M4 will show up in production form at the Detroit Auto Show, in January, making for a quick reveal. That's nothing to worry about.
The thing that will get you twisting and turning in bed at night is the next bit of information (coming from autoblog sources): the new M4 will lack the manual transmission. You might say 'Oh, it's going to be an optional, no cost feature!'; but you'd be wrong.
According to the same source, not even an optional MT gearbox won't be available. That's a bit dramatic, we think. Sure, the DCT will do its job a lot better, changing gears a lot faster than any human could, but for BMW die-hard aficionados, the manual gearbox is a sacred thing, and it would definitely be a shame to lose it.
Number on the sales of the E92 M3 show that the demand for manual transmission was still growing when the model went out of production. At first, before the facelift, people were reluctant towards MT, that showing in sales, but as the LCI model came out, the request for this kind of gearbox grew consistently.
However, we think this is just a rumor. As the 4 Series is available with manual transmission, we find it hard to believe the M4 will not have it, even as an optional (even as a pricey optional, we think it's going to sell). We'll just have to wait and see but don't trust the guys from autoblog just yet.
Just to prove our point, check out the video below of an F82 M4 rolling down city streets. You tell us that car isn't fitted with a manual gearbox. Just listen close.
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