50% of US BMW M2 buyers chose manual, convincing Munich to build the M3 CS Handschalter

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Strong demand for the manual M2 prompted BMW to launch the M3 CS Handschalter.

The next-gen M3 and M4 are expected to ditch the option of a stick shift.

It’s possible that the current-gen M2 might be the final BMW M with a manual.

When Porsche introduced the 991-generation 911 GT3 exclusively with a dual-clutch transmission in 2013, many feared it’d kick off a trend that would quickly lead to the demise of the manual gearbox. We’re now in 2026, and the manual is enjoying a bit of a renaissance thanks to high-end supercars and hypercars.

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Among the premium brands that have stuck with manuals is BMW, despite rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz ditching them years ago. As revealed by BMW M boss Frank van Meel, demand for cars from the brand with stick shifts is strong, so much so that 50 percent of all current M2s sold in the United States have the six-speed manual rather than the available ZF eight-speed automatic.

Read: BMW Just Found A Way To Save Stick Shifts From Drivers Who Think They’re Experts

The strong demand for manual M2 models in the US helped convince BMW to recently launch the limited-run M2 CS Handschalter locally, combining the weight-saving measures and aggressive upgrades of the CS with a manual transmission for the first time.

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“Rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission are the dream combination for many purists,” van Meel told BMW Blog during a recent interview. “That is why we also made a limited model with a manual transmission for the U.S. [the M3 CS Handschalter]. Demand was enormous; the car was practically sold out immediately.”

The M2 May Be The Last Manual BMW

BMW M3 CS Handschalter

BMW hasn’t said how many units of the M3 CS Handschalter it intends to build, only noting it’ll be capped at “very limited numbers.” It will serve as a final send-off to the G80-generation M3 in the US and may be the final M3 with a stick shift option. According to reports, the next-generation M3, likely arriving in 2028, will retain the familiar 3.0-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder engine but won’t be offered with a manual.

The current BMW M4 will stick around a little longer, but it too will be replaced before the end of the decade, and its successor may also abandon the available six-speed manual. As such, the M2 might be the last BMW M that allows you to row your own gears, so if you don’t already have one and you want it, now’s probably the time to place an order.

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