Us gearheads can’t stop talking about how much we love our manuals, but the hard truth is that sales have long been pointing to a very different reality. True enthusiasts are really the only ones keeping demand for manual cars alive, and they represent a mere fraction of a much bigger market that couldn’t care less about the stick or clutch pedal.
So, in our day and age, good news about gear knobs is few and far between. But the topic of our discussion today is actually a pretty big win for the manual transmission, which kindles our hopes that automakers won’t feel too inclined to completely abandon it anytime soon. Because, as it turns out, arguably the best BMW sport coupe is experiencing something of a resurgence in demand for manuals.
The Shift Knob Is Thriving On The BMW M2
2025 BMW M2. Front. MotionBMW
According to BMW Blog, M Division CEO Frank van Meel recently said half of all G87-gen M2s sold in the United States were ordered with manual gearboxes. A 50/50 split between manual and automatic versions is rather impressive for any car in 2026, demonstrating that enthusiasts are still a niche worth serving even today.
And in a world where the stick’s future looks painfully bleak, it’s refreshing to learn of the manual’s continued prominence on a fantastic sports car like the M2. BMW offers the six-speed as standard equipment, while an eight-speed automatic is available as an option at no extra charge.
This fact is quite interesting in and of itself, as most manufacturers only offer the stick as an optional add-on and make you pay for the privilege. BMW decided to capitalize on the public’s interest in a different way, though, not by making the manual an expensive option on the G87 M2. Instead, the company came up with a special-edition model slated for production in limited numbers.
How Is BMW Addressing The Public’s Interest In Its Manual Coupe?
BMW M3 CS Handschalter PackageBMW
Enter the M3 CS Handschalter, destined solely for the US market and only available with a six-speed manual and RWD. “Rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission are the dream combination for many purists,” Frank van Meel told BMW Blog. “That is why we also made a limited model with a manual transmission for the US. Demand was enormous; the car was practically sold out immediately.”
Now, we don’t know how many Handschalters will be produced in total, but you’re clearly out of luck if you were hoping to get one and haven’t already placed your order. The M2 is still here to cater to your needs, though, and the big boss at M Division made no suggestion of its manual configuration going anywhere in the near future.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2027 BMW M2 xDrive from the front three-quarter angleBMW
As many as 50% of buyers opting for the manual gearbox isn’t a statistic you’ll hear very often nowadays, and it should give BMW a very good reason to keep the technology alive over the coming years. We know the M3 will likely become automatic-only in the future, but the M2 might just be spared from that injustice if manual sales remain strong. And in case the M4 will also drop the stick, that would leave the M2 as a last holdout for our beloved manual gearbox.
Source: BMW Blog
