Half of BMW M2 Customers Prefer the Manual Transmission

The BMW M2 with a manual transmission is one of the Bavarian automaker’s most popular models that still offers this feature. Demand is so high that one out of every two customers in the United States prefers it over the automatic version.

This was revealed by Frank van Meel, CEO of the high-performance M division, to the specialized website BMWBLOG, to explain the decision to launch the new BMW M3 CS Handschalter variant, which, as its German name suggests, is a super-limited-production manual transmission version exclusive to North America.

Although the executive did not provide specific figures, it is worth noting that BMW sold during 2025 nearly 21,000 units of the 2 Series in the United States, including both the standard version and the M2 sports variant—a figure representing a 36% increase over the previous year.

However, in the first half of 2026, deliveries totaled just over 8,900 vehicles, representing a decline of 8.6% compared to the same period a year ago.

Nevertheless, these figures gave Van Meel the justification to produce a variant of the iconic M3 sports sedan, of which only 40 units will be available in Canada, while the allocation for the United States has not been disclosed.

BMWBLOG estimates that the number will be between 600 and 700 units for the U.S. market, all of which were reserved on the day orders opened.

“A 50% adoption rate for the manual transmission would be an extraordinary figure for any car in 2026. The M2 is a sports coupe that could have been launched without a clutch pedal, and no one at BMW would have batted an eye, given the evolution of the rest of the segment. However, Van Meel didn’t present it as a surprise,” the site reveals regarding the popularity of the compact model produced in San Luis Potosí.

For BMW executives, that percentage underscores a broader point regarding the demand for vehicles with manual transmissions in the neighboring country, hence the case for launching the BMW M3 CS Handschalter.

“Rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission are the dream combination for many purists. That’s also why we produced a limited-edition model with a manual transmission for the United States. Demand was enormous; the car sold out practically immediately,” the executive concluded.

The automotive press is already speculating that the “Handschalter” marks the swan song for the M3 sports sedan with a clutch pedal, as it is rumored that its successor will completely eliminate the manual transmission in favor of the xDrive automatic transmission.