With a reported rise of 29% for BMW Z4 sales last year, BMW has stated that it will continue making the manual sportscar, at least in its U.S. spec G29 M40i Handschlater package version, through May of 2026. And while the majority of BMW buyers choose the more modern, automatic transmission options for their performance-luxury vehicle experience, there are still enough of the “I want combustion and manual” enthusiasts buying new stick-shifting BMWs to justify keeping that option available.
Many BMW CCA members express (sometimes quite vehemently) their preference for manual-transmission vehicles. And they often voice concerns that BMW will fully abandon the clutch-pedal experience they grew up with. And while that may eventually be the case, it certainly isn’t today. Jalopnik declares, “The Manual BMW Z4 Won’t Die Because Too Many People Have Good Taste.” We have a lot of the enthusiasts they’re referring to as members of the BMW CCA. And CarBuzz calls the manual Z4, “The Performance Car Designed Specifically for Manual Shifter Lovers.” Autoblog states, “BMW is doing the most to keep manuals alive,” in one of the subheads of it’s recent coverage of the Z4 manufacturing extension.
And Autoblog is right. The Z4 isn’t the only manual-transmission car BMW offers. Manual options exist for the M2, M3, and M4 performance vehicles. But if you want a sleek two-seater BMW convertible, the Z4 ranks at the top of the list.
So, for now at least, BMW continues to offer new choices for manual-transmission enthusiasts. And it’s likely they will continue to do so. Well, at least as long as the sales numbers continue to make it a solid business decision.
Read more about the manual Z4 here.
Read more about this story here: CarBuzz Jalopnik Autoblog