BMW will still offer manual gearboxes for the M2, M3 and M4… for a bit

BMW will still offer the manual gearbox as an option for the new M2 coupe, M3 saloon and M4 Coupe… at least for a bit.

Which means that in 2024, and for the next few years of this generation of cars, it’s possible to buy a powerful, rear-drive performance car with a proper stick shift. Happy days.

The confirmation comes off the back of BMW M’s best-ever sales year in 2023, in which the electric i4 M50 was once again its biggest selling model (it took that honour in 2022, as well).

The M2, M3 and M4 also performed well, and when asked by TopGear.com about the percentage of those cars sold with a manual gearbox, BMW said it was between 15 to 20 per cent for the M3 and M4, and even more for the M2.

“Definitely enough to continue to offer the manual gearbox,” BMW told TG. “We owe it to ourselves and of course to our fans all around the world.”

That being said, there’s not long left for the manual ‘box. As reported last year, BMW M’s future is automatic. The twin-clutch gearbox is dead, and the manual will last for as long as this generation of its M cars are alive. After that, M will revert to torque converters right up until single speed electric cars take over.

“The double clutch, from BMW M’s point of view these days, it’s gone,” BMW M’s development boss Dirk Hacker told us last year. “It’s now manual or automatic, and automatic electrified for the future.”

You’ve still got at least five or six years before this all happens, mind. In the meantime, ready yourselves for the return of the CS badge in 2024, too: BMW is prepping the M4 CS launch later this year. BMW promises it’ll bring “increased engine power and optimised weight”. The M3 CS got more power, bespoke suspension, bigger brakes and much carbon fibre. Expect much of the same for the M4 CS when it arrives...