The end is closer than you think.
Specifically for the stick-shift BMW M3, the party is over. The M3 CS Handschilter is the final curtain call.
Don’t get it twisted. The car isn’t gone tomorrow, but it’s leaving.
The sixth-generation model—code name G80—is on its way out. It’s already in the 2027 cycle. And that’s it. No 2028 return.
Scott Stirling from BMW confirmed it in an interview with BimmerLife. He’s the guy who pushed the company to build this specific version anyway. The CS Handschilter. A manual gearbox in the CS package. Just for North America.
It joins a rare club. The E92 Lime Rock. The E36 Lightweight. Rare things. Special things. Things collectors hoard.
When exactly does the assembly line stop?
Rumors point to February 2027. An insider on the BimmerPost forums says that’s when the last gas M3 rolls out.
After that? Silence. Then the future.
Electric First. Gas Later.
The next M3 isn’t just coming late. It’s coming changed.
And the first thing arriving isn’t even gasoline.
BMW is launching an electric M3 in Munich next year. Project ZA0. Quad motors. Fake V10 engine noise. Simulated gear shifts if you really want the illusion of effort. It carries an M-specific battery with over 100 kWh.
Power? It’s going to crush the 463 hp in the i3. Expect way more.
The actual gas M3? That’s delayed until 2028.
And it moves house. No more Munich for the gas model. It’s shifting to Dingolfing. This seventh-gen (G84) will be the first gas M3 built there.
It will still use a 3.0-liter twin-turbo six-cylinder.
But it’s different now. A “new type” of six. Reports say it will likely have mild-hybrid tech to appease European emissions laws.
Here’s the kicker.
Next year’s M3? Likely automatic only. All-wheel drive standard.
Which makes this current CS model… unique. For good reason. It’s probably the last of its kind.
Goodbye To The Stick?
Don’t panic just yet. You can still drive a stick.
The M2 and M4 are supposed to stay around. At least until the late 2020s. So you have a window. About three years, maybe more.
But look at the broader picture. Frank van Meel, head of M Division, didn’t sugarcoat it recently.
“It’s going to be quite difficult… the segment in the market is small.”
Suppliers don’t want to build new manual boxes anymore. They won’t do it for us.
BMW plans to keep the old manuals alive for a couple more years. But the decade change?
Probably a cliff edge for manual transmissions.
Enthusiasts care about soul. Automakers care about grams and torque limits.
Manuals can’t handle modern torque levels well enough without becoming expensive, fragile boxes. Modern automatics are faster anyway. And cleaner. Cleaner matters in Brussels. It matters where regulations bite hardest.
So do you still care?
Maybe. If you do, buy now.
The order books for the 2027 CS Handschilter won’t close until later this year. Production starts in July. But don’t wait. There are very limited slots for the US. Only 40 cars for Canada.
It costs $108,455. That’s a lot for a sports sedan.
But you don’t have to go that deep. The regular 2027 M3 manual starts around $80,650. It’s a steal compared to the CS. If you’re okay without the weight reduction or the carbon bucket seats.
Think about what’s coming.
Rear-wheel drive? Probably safe. BMW’s xDrive already lets you shut off traction and drift away in pure RWD mode. That trick will likely carry over to the new electric beast.
But rowing the gears? That part fades into history.
Once the current M2 and M4 eventually follow the M3 into the museum…
Well. Then the dashboard looks pretty lonely.
Do we have any choice?
