BMW Says Goodbye to the 3-Series Manual Transmission

BMW announced this week that it will no longer offer a manual transmission with its gas engine in the new 3 Series, instead the sole option will be an eight-speed automatic transmission.

A new generation 3 Series called the G20 platform debuted at the Paris Motor Show this week with a surprising announcement; the ultimate driving machine will be lacking a manual transmission on most models. The 318d and 320d, both of which have a 2.0-liter diesel powerplant, will be the only models to receive the three-pedal treatment. However, customers opting for an all-wheel-drive diesel will also forego the manual. The 320i, 330i, 330d, and M340i will all come standard with BMW's eight-speed "sport automatic" transmission.

"The six-speed manual gearbox fitted as standard in the BMW 318d and BMW 320d models has optimized acoustic characteristics and is also easier to use," said BMW in a statement. "All other model variants of the new BMW 3 Series Sedan are equipped with the eight-speed Steptronic transmission as standard."

A BMW spokesperson told CNET that this decision is global in scale, leading us to believe other markets will be limited to the automatic transmission as well.

If you want a manual transmission BMW 3 Series before they are gone, click here to shop now.