The guide BMW’s days are coming to an end. In an interview with Top Gear, Dirk Hacker, the head of development for BMW M, confirmed this, saying that the M2 will likely be the company’s second-to-last car with a stick shift and three pedals. When asked if the current M2’s manual will become outdated, Hacker told Top Gear, “It’s not just BMW’s decision; it’s also the suppliers’ decision.” “If you look around, you’ll see that the need for suppliers of manual gearboxes is going down.” Because of this, we may not have the chance shortly, six to seven years from now. Other automakers are taking a different approach. They use fake engine sounds and gear shifts to bring the manual experience into the electric age. This morning, Toyota said it is making an electric car with a manual gearbox. On the other hand, Hacker doesn’t like the BMW idea. He commented on Top Gear, “I think it could be done, but we won’t do it.” This supports what BMW M CEO Frank van Meel said at a meeting last year that the company would keep selling cars with manual transmissions. A BMW North America spokesman didn’t react to the Hacker’s ideas, saying that the manual will still be available on the M2, M3, and M4 already on the market. The hacker also says that dual-clutch gears are no longer helpful for BMW M cars because the eight-speed ZF torque converter automatic works better. BMW M says that the double clutch is no longer a choice. He said this to Top Gear. Automatic transmissions are more efficient than double-clutch transmissions, and automatic electrification is now a good option for the future. On the other hand, this automatic is used in the new race car M4 GTR, which moves faster than the M4 CSL.
