BMW Confirms New M3 And M4 Will Be Offered With A Manual ‘Box

BMW M chief executive Markus Flasch has confirmed that the next-generation M3 and M4 will be available with a manual transmission.

Both Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport ditched manual gearboxes years ago, but eager to satisfy its customers’ needs, BMW has kept producing stick shifts for vehicles such as the M2, M3 and M4. Next year, an all-new M3 and M4 will launch and there had been some fears that the manual would go the way of the do-do. Thankfully, that won’t be the case.

When quizzed by BMW Blog about whether or not there will be any surprises for BMW fans with the new M3 and M4, Flasch confirmed the availability of a manual and all-wheel drive.

Also Read: New BMW M3 And M4 To Be Unveiled In Mid-2020

“It’s a bit early to disclose all the details but something I want to highlight is that we will have a manual stick shift,” he said. “We have already disclosed we will have the option of four-wheel drive. We’ve not decided which variant, which system, but everything that’s on our current lineup; think of the M5; can be made available. The M3 and M4, I’ve driven the pre-production cars already and they’re fantastic.”

The executive didn’t confirm if the M3/M4’s all-wheel drive system will have a rear-wheel drive mode like the M5, but did suggest it could. He also took the time to reiterate the importance of manual gearboxes for the brand as a whole.

“Manual is very important. The manual stick shift is not a performance-bringer, because an automatic transmission is just faster, you can ask any race driver,” he said. “But it gives the vehicle character and I kind of compare it to people who love mechanical watches; it isn’t more precise and it doesn’t have any advantage at all but it’s a character feature. So is a stick shift.”