Report: BMW to drop the manual for the production M4, due at Detroit rather than LA

So the conceptual version of the much-anticipated and extremely critical BMW M4 was revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and AutoBlog was apparently able to score some details surrounding the production model.

A supposed “well-placed” source within BMW’s confines has said that the production version will be unveiled at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, rather than the Los Angeles Auto Show later this year.

[slider id=179398]

Click here for our original post on the 2013 BMW M4 Concept.

And while the powertrain details weren’t specified just yet, pointers indicate the use of an all-new 3.0L inline-six donning two snails for a same power rating as the outgoing 4.0L V8, good for 414hp. Though torque figures are said to be much higher.

And in possible disappointing news, word is that the new M4 will only be made with BMW M’s latest DCT dual-clutch transmission with no option of a manual. Purists and enthusiasts will certainly express outrage (like myself) should this hold to be true. Though there are off-chances that the new M4 could receive a manual option for North America, much like the North American-spec BMW M5—the foreign markets don’t even get a manual option, so we consider ourselves lucky.

But engineers and number crunchers would also argue that the DCT-transmission is faster, allowing for quicker performance times with the new M4. While this is true and nobody can deny that automatically controlled transmissions are faster than humans these days, it just completely spoils the fun and engagement associated with swapping your own cogs, both of which are simply integral to the experience of the Ultimate Driving Machine.

So keep your fingers crossed.

– By: Chris Chin

Source: AutoBlog

Chris Chin

Chris Chin is the Editor-In-Chief of egmCarTech and is a regular contributor to Automobile Magazine.

admin has 4428 posts and counting.See all posts by admin