{"id":81261,"date":"2025-03-17T18:14:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T22:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=81261"},"modified":"2025-03-17T18:14:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T22:14:54","slug":"bmw-m-future-manuals-m2-m5-touring-secret-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=81261","title":{"rendered":"BMW M\u2019s Future: Manuals, Mystery Sportscars, and M5 Touring Surprises"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seeing into the future is a truly rare gift. Especially when it\u2019s about how one of your favorite brands plans to develop and expand their performance car lineup. Catching up with Sylvia Neubauer\u2014Vice President Customer, Brand, and Sales at BMW M\u2014we learned that the G81 Touring isn\u2019t coming to America<\/a>. But it wasn\u2019t all bad news. Thankfully, there\u2019s still a lot to be excited about at BMW M.<\/p>\n

The State of the Manual<\/h4>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lifestyle statement,\u201d Ms. Neubauer starts when asked about the US manual take rate. \u201cIt\u2019s not, \u2018oh yeah, I got the cheaper car, and it\u2019s a manual,\u2019 it\u2019s a statement\u2026like a bragging thing.\u201d She agreed with us when we said the US market had the higher take rate on manuals, but didn\u2019t have exact figures to provide. But not everything will get a manual: \u201cit depends on the concept. The manual transmission is not the proper solution for every segment.\u201d And, don\u2019t get it twisted\u2014the lion\u2019s share of M cars are still automatic.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say BMW is breaking up with the manual. Quite the opposite, in fact: \u201cthere\u2019s nothing ever closed forever,\u201d Neubauer says when asked if BMW is closing the door on manuals. You probably already knew, but it\u2019s always good to hear that BMW is committed to keeping the manual gearbox <\/a>alive.<\/p>\n

Supercar, or Something Else?<\/h4>\n