BMW M boss Frank Van Meel has acknowledged the days of M cars with a manual transmission are numbered, citing a performance ceiling as the main reason.

Speaking to assembled Australian media this week, including Whichcar by Wheels, Van Meel said the manual transmission would remain a core part of the brand’s philosophy for as long as possible, but admitted its days may be numbered.

“From an engineering standpoint, the manual doesn’t really make sense because it limits you in torque and also in fuel consumption,” Van Meel said.

“But from an emotional standpoint and customer standpoint, a lot of people still love manuals, so that’s why we kept them, and we intend to keep them as long as possible.”

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BMW M’s current six-speed manual gearbox – ZF GS6-L55TZ – has a maximum torque rating of just under 600Nm. However, BMW engineers a safety margin, limiting torque to 550Nm for three-pedal M models.

Currently in Australia only regular M2, M3 and M4 models are offered with a manual gearbox. However, the brand’s more performance-focused CS models and their higher torque outputs miss out on the six-speed manual, available only with BMW’s eight-speed ‘Steptronic’ automatic transmission.

But according to Van Meel, the cost of developing a manual gearbox capable of exceeding the self-imposed 550Nm torque limit would prove too prohibitive.

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“It’s going to be quite difficult in the future to develop completely new gearboxes because the segment in the market is quite small, and the suppliers are not so keen on doing something like that,” said Van Meel.

“So we’re still happy with the manuals we have and we plan to keep them for the next couple of years, but in future, probably it’s going to be more difficult to keep the manuals alive, especially in the next decade.”