Report: BMW M Will Drop DCT Gearbox, Manuals Will Die After the M2

The BMW M division has been fitting their sportscars with dual-clutch transmission (DCT) for years, with their surprisingly excellent performance being the bane of existence for several stick-shift-equipped M models. However, things are about to change as the M division reportedly will drop the DCT automatic gearbox from its future lineup.

Speaking to Top Gear UK, BMW M’s Head of Development Dirk Hacker suggested that the firm is done with the DCT box as it appears several of its newer models will be more beneficial with other transmission setup.

"The double clutch, from BMW M’s point of view these days, it’s gone. It's now manual or automatic, and automatic electrified for the future," Hacker said.

The new BMW M3 CS (right) uses the ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission (left) instead of DCT

This revelation came after the firm had a discussion on the development of a next-gen BMW M5. Several engineers and technicians from the team have decided to replace the DCT with a more traditional automatic transmission plus a torque converter, as this setup appears to be more comfortable for everyday driving.

"The automatic is better performing than the double clutch. In the M4 CSL it's faster shifting and on the other side, we also use this automatic in the new M4 GTR race car," the BMW M development boss added.

BMM M's six-speed manual transmission seen on the new BMW M2 coupe

Unfortunately, the future for M cars with stick-shift gearbox appeared to be bleak too, as Hacker revealed that the M will eventually stop producing models with manual gearbox, forecasting their demise will be in about six or seven years from now.

"If you take a look around, you will see the future for manual gearbox suppliers will decrease. So I'm not sure we will have the possibility in the future – but in the future it means six, seven years in the forecast," Hacker said.

When asked about the possibility of electrifying a manual gearbox like they did with the current ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic gearbox, Hacker said that it “could be done, but we will not do that”, citing that the firm also needs to rely on the decision of its suppliers, apart from themselves.

Hacker’s statement on the stick-shift is roughly aligned with a previous statement from BMW M division boss Frank van Meel, who said that the manual gearbox “is, unfortunately, not so widespread anymore. It's more in the segments of the M2 and M3, and the M4.”

“And for those cars, we continue offering the manual, and those cars will run for a long time until the end of this decade," the M boss added.

Could the new BMW M2 be the last M model to feature a stick-shift?

With the BMW M2 being the newest M model to be offered with a manual gearbox option, this could mean that the stick-shift will end with this sporty coupe as well. We’ve previously reported on the sporty BMW Concept Touring Coupe, with a possibility of it being into production and offered with a six-speed manual just like the M2. With the M bosses basically confirm the gradual demise of the manual gearbox on M cars, it seems that such circumstances will be more than unlikely.