[movietub]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

It costs a minimum of $5,000,000 to certify a car for sale in the USA/CA. While a speciality car like an M3/M4 can afford another $5,000 or so in price, a 330i or even a 340i can't with manual can't compete in it's class with a sticker that much higher.

Plus the other tens of millions in production facilities to have a line that can handle the fitment of a manual transmission.

I'm sure there are endless other costs that are saved each time they decide that a model will only be AT too.

Reading this thread from the start, the list of reasons that manufacturers would want to ditch MT is long, and frankly well justified. So too is the list of reasons drivers should be happy to do the same

[pjkbrit]

The cars are already certified, the transmission type is an option.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by pjkbrit

The cars are already certified, the transmission type is an option.

No, your understanding is incomplete. Every motor/transmission/body combination must be separately certified. Certification for a MT car is separate from the corresponding AT car: $5M * 2, not $5M for both.

[movietub]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

No, your understanding is incomplete. Every motor/transmission/body combination must be separately certified. Certification for a MT car is separate from the corresponding AT car: $5M * 2, not $5M for both.

That's my understanding. And also the thin end of the wedge when it comes to the general costs saved by not having such a basic varient to a models design, especially when so few people choose it.

The business choice for BMW could go no other way. It's not that they hate MT, it's just that it becomes hopelessly expensivse to continue to offer any option when so few people overall choose it.

Not to mention the elephant in the room.. for newer cars 'new' MT tech is thin on the ground because no one is going to invest millions into new automotive gearbox design in a world that is signing up to cease producing cars that need a traditional transmission.

MT transmission is done, it's peaked and ended. What we have now for both MT and internal combustion is about as good as it will ever get in the mainstream. So stop whining lol, and if you can find an MT you love, buy it. It will probably be a future classic one day as it will represent the most refined and practical IC + MT ever got pre electric.

NB: I'm well aware we can expect to be buying IC cars for at least the next decade, but car development takes about a decade - so for the auto makers, they're already there. So advances in MT and IC really have mostly peaked.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by movietub

That's my understanding. And also the thin end of the wedge when it comes to the general costs saved by not having such a basic varient to a models design, especially when so few people choose it.

The business choice for BMW could go no other way. It's not that they hate MT, it's just that it becomes hopelessly expensivse to continue to offer any option when so few people overall choose it.

Not to mention the elephant in the room.. for newer cars 'new' MT tech is thin on the ground because no one is going to invest millions into new automotive gearbox design in a world that is signing up to cease producing cars that need a traditional transmission.

MT transmission is done, it's peaked and ended. What we have now for both MT and internal combustion is about as good as it will ever get in the mainstream. So stop whining lol, and if you can find an MT you love, buy it. It will probably be a future classic one day as it will represent the most refined and practical IC + MT ever got pre electric.

NB: I'm well aware we can expect to be buying IC cars for at least the next decade, but car development takes about a decade - so for the auto makers, they're already there. So advances in MT and IC really have mostly peaked.

Similar thinking.

As I've mentioned before, the MT designers and manufacturers know they have to automate their MT systems if they hope to continue, even in the short term, simply on the emissions front. We've only got to search a little to see their developments are focused on hybrid MT/AHT.

[Al Bundy's Dodge]

Maybe thread should be about a petition to ask BMW to develop a 6MT electric vehicle

[movietub]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy's Dodge

Maybe thread should be about a petition to ask BMW to develop a 6MT electric vehicle

I think the Rimac electric car does have a gearbox..

..but it's AT

Maybe BMW could design an electric car with a synthetic engine noise and a gear stick that changes the pitch, but has no other effect

[kern417]

BMW has sent me a few surveys and every time I get excited to show support for the manual transmission. I know voting with my wallet helps, but I know they put a lot of time behind driving change based on surveys. If we aren't shouting that we love it, it won't be a focus for them.

Unfortunately, every survey seems to be related primarily to convenience functions. The latest one I received this week was clearly an attempt to understand how they can make the nav more useful to people that choose Waze/Gmaps instead. That's what sells cars I guess.