BMW M2 Manual Lives On, but 48-Volt Tech Threatens Its Future

Not dead. Not safe either. BMW M boss Frank van Meel insists the manual gearbox is “not off the table”, yet he flatly refuses to make any promises. For anyone who rows their own gears in a BMW M2, that answer brings relief with a sting in the tail. Keeping three pedals in the lineup, he warns, “is going to be really difficult”.

The appetite refuses to fade. Roughly half of US buyers of the G87 M2 choose the six-speed manual over the automatic. Van Meel acknowledges that demand runs high and calls the subject “a very emotional issue”. North American dealers also snapped up their build slots for the 2027 M3 CS Handschalter, a limited-run, rear-driven manual special, in no time. Enthusiasts clearly still want to shift for themselves.

The real enemy is physics. BMW’s six-speed manual simply cannot swallow the full torque of the twin-turbo S58 straight-six in its angriest tunes. That explains why the M3 and M4 Competition already come as automatics only, and why the M4 CS sold in America uses the eight-speed M Steptronic. Bolt a 48-volt mild-hybrid system onto that engine, with its electric motor, control software and extra weight, and the packaging puzzle gets nastier still.

Suppliers tighten the squeeze further. Fewer firms worldwide still build manual gearboxes tough enough for this kind of torque. With global demand for three pedals shrinking beyond a few enthusiast favourites, BMW M has little leverage to commission a bespoke unit. Only a few years ago, van Meel himself argued that the manual made little sense for the brand’s performance sums. Today his verdict is blunt: “I cannot promise anything.”

So where does that leave the BMW M2? Van Meel says its manual will stick around for at least a couple more years, but he will not guarantee anything beyond that. The current M3 Handschalter looks set to be the last manual on its chassis, and industry reports expect the next M3 to pair a mild-hybrid straight-six with an automatic, although BMW has confirmed nothing. BMW M will revisit the question rather than kill it outright. Savour that clutch pedal while it lasts.