While Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport have long abandoned manuals, BMW M has vowed to hang on to the clutch pedal. Still, keeping manuals alive is becoming increasingly difficult as ever more sophisticated driver-assistance systems tend to work best with automatics. Declining interest in performance cars with a manual gearbox only adds to the challenge.
A nearly forgotten fact about the BMW Z4 is that a manual transmission has been available since 2019. That said, it was limited to the four-cylinder sDrive20i, an entry-level variant never offered in the United States. As a result, three pedals didn’t reach American buyers until a couple of years ago, when the M40i gained the optional Handschalter Package.
Although the take rate for the six-speed manual remains solid, it lost ground to the eight-speed Steptronic in 2025. BMW USA told Motor1 that demand was split evenly between the two gearboxes last year. In 2024, 65% of buyers chose to row their own gears. It’s also worth noting that 2025 was the last full year for the G29, as production ends in the coming months.
The M2 with a manual is also less popular than it was in 2024. According to BMW USA, the take rate has fallen from 50% to 40%. While not officially confirmed, the long-rumored xDrive variant is expected to be automatic-only. The all-paw M2 is said to debut later this year and could push the automatic’s share even higher.
Things get more complicated with the M3 and M4. Competition and xDrive versions are automatic-only, leaving the stick shift exclusively to the base models. Motor1 reports that just 6–10% of all M3 and M4 buyers ordered the six-speed manual last year. Speaking strictly about the entry-level versions, however, about half of M3 buyers and a third of M4 customers opted for the do-it-yourself gearbox.
Looking ahead, the M2 and M4 are expected to keep the manual alive until the end of their life cycles around mid-2029. The Z4 has one foot in the grave, while M3 production is rumored to end in early 2027. The sedan’s replacement, codenamed G84, is believed to arrive in 2028 exclusively with an automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
All signs point to the manual transmission being on its last legs, so now might be the time to buy a three-pedal BMW while you still can. Skipping a manual option for the M240i was likely a missed opportunity, and that ship has probably already sailed.
Source: Motor1