The BMW M5 2012 will be the last M5 with a manual gearbox

Interesting data on customer preferences when buying their BMW M5 comes from the Munich-based company. While manual gearboxes once completely dominated the market, today BMW sells fewer and fewer M5s with this type of transmission, which means the current M5 will be the last to be sold with a manual gearbox.

But let me tell you about some curious figures: according to Albert Biermann, head of engineering at BMW, in Europe very few M5s fitted with manual gearboxes are being sold, while in the USA -once the paradise of automatic gearboxes- manual-equipped M5 models still account for around 15% of total sales.

BMW sees some technical and cost drawbacks in continuing to fit the M5 with a manual gearbox, since the entire design of the latest generation has focused on the automated gearbox, and using a manual gearbox in each vehicle’s production has become increasingly difficult. Furthermore, as fewer are sold, the manufacturing cost per unit rises, so it is no longer worthwhile for BMW to keep offering them with this type of transmission.

For those thinking the worst for the M3, rest easy: BMW says the M3 will still keep its manual gearbox, as it always has, almost a tradition for the M5’s younger sibling.

Source | Automoblog