The manual gearbox may be disappearing from new cars at an alarming rate, but Americans apparently aren't ready to give up the clutch pedal just yet. According to BMW M CEO, every second M2 sold in the United States has a manual transmission. Van Meel revealed the surprisingly strong take rate in a recent interview with us, explaining how customer feedback influences product decisions.

 

That's an impressive figure in 2026, particularly for a performance car available with an eight-speed automatic that's quicker and more convenient. Yet half of American M2 buyers are willingly choosing the six-speed manual instead. And BMW M is paying attention. Van Meel specifically connected the M2's manual take rate to the decision to create the M3 CS Handschalter, a limited-run, manual-only special edition developed for North America. Demand was apparently enormous, with the car selling out almost instantly.