As Manual Transmissions Die at BMW, What Does it Mean for MINI?
The head of BMW M recently came out with a hint (you pay attention to those when they’re from auto execs) that manual transmissions might not make it into all M cars in the future. He told Autocar “from a technical standpoint, the future doesn’t look bright for manual gearboxes. The DCT and auto ’boxes are faster and they have better fuel consumption.”
Naturally if M cars (BMWs that cater to the enthusiast) drop the beloved manual then we certainly can’t expect normal BMWs to carry the torch much longer. But what if anything does that mean for MINIs?
MINI (along with Porsche) has for years had the highest percentages of manual buyers. However gone are the years that it was 50/50. Today we’re told that manuals make up far less than 20% of the MINIs purchased in the US – MINIs largest market. What happens to that when the auto under the hood is upgraded to the Aisin 8 speed that we’ll see in the Clubman and Countryman Cooper S? Will that accelerate the decline?
If history is any guide, yes. However there are a couple of reasons we believe the manual isn’t going away any time soon – especially on the smaller MINIs. For one the core MINI enthusiasts resoundingly buy manuals. And these ambassadors of the brand are a key demographic that the company wants to hold onto. Secondly the small sporty car market still has plenty of manual transmission options available (unlike the sports car segment). A manual is expected on the offer sheet and will be for years to come.
Rest easy MF readers. We believe the manual is safe at MINI for the time being.
<p>I wish I could agree with you…..I love to check car dealers (especially MINI) inventory online and in person. Have a look and you’ll see MINI’s population of manual transmissions is just as small as any other car dealers. I was in Indianapolis for business and the dealer nearby (Carmel I think) had only a handful of Manuals. The 4 door hardtops on the lot were all Auto’s, the JCW they had (which is awesome looking to my eye) is an auto. From what I could see if I want a new MINI with a clutch pedal I’ll have to order it to get it they way I want it…..that’s fine with me, but when that is the case Manuals are just going to disappear. Dealers control what we car guys get, and if they only order Autos then that’s all the manufacturer’s end up building.</p>
<p>Post 2020, manual gearboxes will only be found in small cheap cars sold in developing countries, and will be technically obsolete in premium cars. Don’t expect a clutch pedal in MINI 4.</p>
<p>do you know madame Irma?</p>
<p>No I don’t, but I do know about future European legislation affecting vehicle CO2 emissions, which is well document and has already been passed into law.</p>
<p>One reason I ordered a new JCW to replace my R53 was to get one while I can still get a manual transmission. Concern over possibly losing the option to have a manual was enough to outweigh my concern over some of the design features of the Gen 3 MINIs. I’m just an old school guy who still likes that left foot pedal. There are some excellent automatics out there, including the one in the new JCW, but in my opinion, a great driver’s car should have a manual. (note to MINI: it should also have a real tachometer!)
My MINI dealer’s current inventory of 142 new MINIs has only 23 manuals – 16%. Most of these are the 3-cyl Coopers.</p>
<p>I don’t always agree with Gabe but I think his forecast here is on the money. The other related point is that the key demographic to which he speaks is far less likely to settle for what exists in the dealer inventory and more likely to order from the factory to get the exact specifications desired. The result will be decreasing percentages of manuals on dealer lots–especially for the family oriented, four-door variants–but the percentage change of manual transmissions spec’ed on custom orders will be far more gradual. Now, let’s just hope we can preserve the handbrake too. :-)</p>
<p>I race my car at both Autocross and the track and it is an automatic. My situation is different as my wife has the need to drive with hand controls and she is a race instructor as well so we have to have an automatic for her to have the ability to drive. The automatics now are faster and they are getting better. Our 135’s had DCT and with traction off and in manual shift mode it is lightening quick. The MINI is good and will get better and a JCW with DCT would be awesome.
I love driving manuals around the race track and driving them in general but you cannot say that they are faster in today’s world. I like having to do something (although in traffic it sucks) and I always tell parents to get one for their teen so they can learn more about the car, its functions, and hopefully they will not have time to text while driving if they are shifting.
From a financial standpoint they company makes more money by charging a premium for the automatic and if it breaks, they can rebuild or swap at a hefty price and mark up. The sole reason I got rid of my ’05 and ’06 was because I did not want to pay at least 5k if/when the transmission went out.
Manuals have a place and should be continued and I think MINI will continue to sell them but like someone else said, more custom orders because the lots are filled with automatics. It is great that the automatics are faster and more fuel efficient but there is a satisfaction in driving a manual that will hopefully be passed down to the next generations.</p>
<p>Obviously for those who are unable (physically, not just unwilling to try to learn) the auto is a blessing. I also agree that I’d like to see them for future generations……but the argument could be made that early cars had clunky, even strange, transmissions that died off and maybe the natural progression is for what we think of as manuals to similarly die off. Cars are, relatively speaking, a new thing. Only a small number of people, for example, know how to ride a horse which would be the predecessor to manual cars.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine buying a MINI with an auto. Those cars were made for manuals. It would be like getting a Miata with an auto, what’s the point? Sure, the auto is better, but not when it comes to driving satisfaction. Especially for the low power/torque versions.</p>
<p>While I’d get a manual my wife would divorce me if I got Mini she couldn’t drive. An no she won’t learn.</p>
<p>Time for her to get her own, then!</p>
<p>my first JCW I had a manual, loved the feeling of control it gave me, and I could always be in the right gear, well most of the time. Then I got a r59s with the JCW packages and with an automatic. Wrong move. It may, or it may not be in the correct gear for me. Going down the mountains of Colorado I just hated the way it shifted, when IT wanted to, not me. Just couldn’t understand why it would drop two gears going down hill, when I wanted sixth gear.</p>
<p>Granted, the new automatic in the JCW is nice, but while on my test drive, I still didn’t have that feeling of control, like it would do what IT again, wanted to do. Its like this, even if the automatic is faster, and supposedly more economical to drive, I will be in a manual next year.</p>
<p>When the R56 JCW first came out you couldn’t get an automatic for a couple years. When the F56 JCW came out you couldn’t get a manual for the first 6 months. That should tell you something.</p>
<p>Yes indeed, and the 6-speed auto is faster too. When the 8-speed auto becomes available, not only will it be faster, it will also be more economical on fuel than the manual.</p>
<p>The reason some of us still want a manual has little to do with speed or even economy. Also I wonder how many DCT buyers simply keep it in automatic after they get tired of playing with the paddles.</p>
<p>My new JCW manual arrived at the dealer today. I was talking with one of the sales managers who said they can’t sell the two JCW automatics they’ve had on display for two months. People keep coming in, passing on the automatics they could have immediately and choosing to order JCW with a manual and waiting several months for delivery.</p>
<p>it tells you that the auto was already developed to handle the power and they had to do clutch testing etc on the manual.</p>
<p>Sad that BMW is going the way that Volvo has already decided on. Volvo’s new 2.0lt/8 spd auto architecture on all of their cars…sadly no more Volvo manuals :(</p>