“The double clutch, from BMW M’s point of view these days, it’s gone,” Dirk Hacker, the head of development for BMW M told Top Gear. “It’s now manual or automatic, and automatic electrified for the future.”
The decision to move away from DCTs was made during the development of the last M5. Factors contributing to the decision included cost, comfort, and feedback from customers regarding maneuvering and parking.
BMW M claims that the new automatic transmission used in the M4 CSL is faster at high speeds than a DCT, which is why it is also being utilized in the M4 racecar.
While a manual transmission is expected to remain available on the M2 for its lifecycle, it is likely that the manual gearbox will be discontinued after the G87 M2, around 2030. The decrease in manual gearbox suppliers in the future is cited as a reason for this decision.
“It’s not only a decision of BMW, it’s also a decision of the suppliers,” said Hacker. “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 means six, seven years in forecast.”
Unlike Toyota, BMW isn’t interested in fake manual transmissions for electric vehicles. “I think it could be done, but we will not do that,” said Hacker, meaning that if you don’t like automatic transmissions (or single speed EVs), you’ll soon have to look somewhere other than BMW M.
Source: Top Gear