Photo: BMW
When BMW introduced a manual gearbox alternative for the new M5 and M6 in the US, the carmaker made it clear that it won’t say “Yes” to this kind of requests forever, warning Americans that a stick shift may not be available in the future.
Now, BMW is making things even clearer, as Albert Biermann, the head of the M division engineering department told Inside Line that the next M5 and M6 won’t be available with a manual. The carmaker currently offers a six-speed manual as a no-cost option, but there are two reasons for which this will be discontinued when the new generation models arrive: costs and sales.
“Last year, maybe 15-20 percent of our M5s in the US were manuals and maybe this year it will be 15 percent. It’s declining. The trouble is that nobody wants it in Europe or anywhere else, so this will be the last time we do it, even for the hard-core US buyers. We just can’t justify it anymore. It’s a no-cost option, but it’s been very difficult to do. Theoretically the stick is cheaper, but it’s very low volumes and we have to strengthen everything in the gearbox and find space for the shifter and another pedal, so it doesn’t work out cheaper,” Biermann told the aforementioned source.
“Last year, maybe 15-20 percent of our M5s in the US were manuals and maybe this year it will be 15 percent. It’s declining. The trouble is that nobody wants it in Europe or anywhere else, so this will be the last time we do it, even for the hard-core US buyers. We just can’t justify it anymore. It’s a no-cost option, but it’s been very difficult to do. Theoretically the stick is cheaper, but it’s very low volumes and we have to strengthen everything in the gearbox and find space for the shifter and another pedal, so it doesn’t work out cheaper,” Biermann told the aforementioned source.
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