It's the end of the world as we know it

"The Ghost of Oppo" (gohstoklasa)
07/06/2015 at 15:05 • Filed to: SAVETHEMANUALS

BMW says no more manuals. Audi is already headed this way, I was hoping The Ultimate Driving Machine company would keep the 3 pedal dream alive

“From a technical standpoint, the future doesn’t look bright for manual gearboxes. The DCT and auto ‘boxes are faster and they have better fuel consumption,” van Meel said to Autocar. Although, he left the door open slightly to keeping them at least in the near future. “It’s difficult to say we’ll stick to the manual, but we still have a big fan community for manuals and we are not going to take away something the customer wants to have.”

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/06/bmw…

DISCUSSION (25)

Nibbles > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 15:07

Do you feel fine?

Coty > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 15:07

Riiiiiiight.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 15:07

I’m glad that they’re capping horsepower figures. The power wars got really out of hand this time. Sorry, there’s no need for a nearly 300 hp Camry. There’s just not. Regardless of what Random Internet Youtuber thinks, anything above about 450 hp is just a different shade of more than you can probably use.

Margin Of Error > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 15:10

Automobile reached it’s apogee in 1999. Instead of “capping” horsepower, we should ban everything invented after that year.

The Ghost of Oppo > Nibbles
07/06/2015 at 15:10

Kinja'd!!!

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/06/2015 at 15:11

I’d like to see a trend of making vehicles lighter instead of more powerful. Power to weight ratio can go either way. Add power or add lightness.

duurtlang > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/06/2015 at 15:12

I never got that, about the American market primarily. Lots of power in a car without even a hint of sportyness. Yes, I understand why you’d want lots of power in a Mustang, but why would you want that much power in a car designed to shield you from the driving experience? It’s like a very smooth 3 speed torque converter in a Honda S2000.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 15:16

Well considering the majority of BMW manual fans (In America anyways) buy the cars after 10 years’ time, I’m not too surprised that they’re cutting down the manual options.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
07/06/2015 at 15:19

Yep, that’s what made me buy my BRZ. I was looking for a new car, but didn’t like any of them. I sat in a BRZ out of curiosity without having any intention of buying one. Then I did. The chassis is what sold me instantly. They could have cut the power in half and I would still have liked it.

The Ghost of Oppo > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
07/06/2015 at 15:20

Therein lies the problem. That is partially why I bought a new car. I wanted to be part of the solution(stemming the tide) rather than complain/be the problem

Bluecold > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 15:31

Isn’t it a public secret that the current ///M biturbo V8 makes quite a bit more than 600 in reality at the crank?

thebigbossyboss > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
07/06/2015 at 15:41

Yup. Look at Lotus. Not that long ago they were whoopoing ass at 150 hp because go kart.

nermal > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 15:45

You have to look at it from a business standpoint. Manuals at this point are becoming more expensive to make than autos, due to volumes. ~10 yrs ago you would save $1 - 2k getting a manual over an auto. Now they’re “no cost options” in a lot of cases (non-DSGs).

There will still be a small section of the buying public that wants a manual. The highest take rates are in GTIs and WRXs and Wranglers. In the BMW line, I’d guess the highest take rate is in the M3/4 and 235, although those are obviously either dwindling at worst or not growing at best.

You may end up in a scenario like the Ram diesels. It’s the last available manual pickup truck. Obviously they’re still selling enough to continue production, in addition to making a few minor improvements here and there. That’s because they are the only choice. Despite that, it still accounts for < 10% of their sales.

finn's arm > Bluecold
07/06/2015 at 15:47

Yessir. They’ve always sandbagged their official numbers to understate, but their turbo offerings are moreso than ever.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
07/06/2015 at 15:51

Actually the only reason why they sell the M5/6 with a manual transmission is because of the US market and the owners club. They weren’t even going to offer it in Europe.

jjhats > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/06/2015 at 15:51

this. also this may finally convince bmw to shed some weight from their cars. they don’t make a single car under 3000 lbs. I think the future will be about how little cars can weigh not how much power they can have as its already seen 700+ is very doable with todays tech

DrScientist > nermal
07/06/2015 at 15:52

but its not as if bmw are making their own manual transmissions (are they?).

i imagine its more along the lines of ensuring their engine and management systems can mate up to an out of the box manual developed by [insert transmission manufacturer]. and as long as that manual transmission manufacturer can keep reasonable numbers across multiple auto manufacturers, as well as access to whatever is necessary for electronic management, then this shouldnt be TOO hard of a problem to solve.

jjhats > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 15:56

yea! another reason to hate bmw! please keep it up bmw theres some new x2.5 crossover niche realm to invade

Azrek > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 16:01

Sorry...I would’ve posted earlier, but I had to walk out to the parking lot to hug my car. One of the last of a breed...

AndyG_UK > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 16:01

One of my friends last week traded his 2011 manual 3.0 Z4 M Sport for a 2014 M135i DCT, after driving it I never want to have to use my left leg again when driving, the DCT is an awesome gearbox!

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > thebigbossyboss
07/06/2015 at 16:08

Considering they weighed 500lbs less than a Miata, I believe it. (Ariel Atom being 800 lbs less than the Elise even)

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
07/06/2015 at 16:25

Correct. And they did say they would keep the option open for people who will actually pay up. But the 320i jalopnik edition won’t happen again, I bet.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 16:26

Same. Could’ve saved a few grand and bought a Fiesta ST with a few miles on it. Bought new to make sure Ford keeps cranking them out.

samssun > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/06/2015 at 20:29

BRB deciding how much of your income you need and how much square footage your house should be limited to...

Bill"TheStig"Murray > The Ghost of Oppo
07/06/2015 at 22:26

I always thought that they’d take the M cars in a more 911 GT3 direction than say a Turbo S. They’ll probably come out with a line to keep them in the horsepower wars that will inevitably continue. V8 450is anyone?