Frank Weber, a key member of BMW’s board, says the writing is on the wall for the brand’s manual transmissions and that includes its enthusiast-oriented M models.
Automotive executives have been saying the days of the stick shift are numbered for years and while there are still quite a few options on the market, the numbers are dwindling. BMW has been one of the last holdouts in the luxury segment, still offering buyers of the M2, M3, M4, and more recently, the Z4 M40i, the opportunity to row their own gears, while both Mercedes and Audi have killed off the manual.
However, during a recent interview with Italian publication Quattroruote, Frank Weber said “it’s over” for the brand’s manual models, noting that the sales figures for them don’t justify the development costs.
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