km : Automotive News

At the North AMerican International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday, BMW North America announced it will indeed offer the new M5, which debuts later this summer as a 2013 model, with the option of a six-speed manual transmission in addition to the seven-speed M-DCT gearbox.

As with the last generation M5 (E60), this three-pedal arrangement is exclusive to the North American market. While Americans overall prefer their cars to shift for them, BMW owners — and M-car owners in particular — prefer to do the rowing themselves. According to Matt Russell, North American brand manager for M vehicles, there was a strong enough business case with the last generation to justify the special request again this time around. Over the life of the E60 M5, nearly a quarter of them were ordered with the manual transmission, peaking at nearly 50% in one point.

The 560-horsepower twin-turbo V8 in the next M5 will likely be a better match for the manual, which uses one less cog than the self-shifting M-DCT 'box, that the former high-revving V10 was. The turbo engine's considerably more generous torque supply (502 lb-ft compared to just 383 in the V10) means less reliance on being in the proper gear for decent acceleration. The M differential remains intact, and BMW claims the the gear ratios are "optimized for acceleration, flexibility and fuel economy." A short-throw shifter promises to deliver the kind of engaging performance M5 owners expect.

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