[See5]

Anyone who has worked on the sales end of dealership, especially in management, knows that you wouldn't dare order a manual A4 to sit in stock.

That's just asking for money lost.

More than likely, your customers looking for the model will be few and far between, the one that does come in will want to hammer you on price knowing its a rare car you want to sell quickly because he's the only one who's interested, and in the meantime its racking up floorplan interest and writedown money. Manuals, especially in certain brands, will stay in stock forever. At 90+ days you're closing in on panic mode. Usually, if it doesn't sell within the year, the dealership will have to buy the car itself. Suboptimal.

Not surprised at all.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by See5

Anyone who has worked on the sales end of dealership, especially in management, knows that you wouldn't dare order a manual A4 to sit in stock.

That's just asking for money lost.

More than likely, your customers looking for the model will be few and far between, the one that does come in will want to hammer you on price knowing its a rare car you want to sell quickly because he's the only one who's interested, and in the meantime its racking up floorplan interest and writedown money. Usually, if it doesn't sell within the year, the dealership will have to buy the car itself. Suboptimal.

Not surprised at all.

Sort of why it would be cool if BMW USA could work out a deal to continue to offer manuals on ED cars. Cut the dead dealership model out of the whole process.

[See5]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Sort of why it would be cool if BMW USA could work out a deal to continue to offer manuals on ED cars. Cut the dead dealership model out of the whole process.

BMW doesn't want to deal directly with those buyers' extremely high standards. I know a couple of guys at Woodcliff Lake that handle customer relations and they get enough shit as it is.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by See5

BMW doesn't want to deal directly with those buyers' extremely high standards. I know a couple of guys at Woodcliff Lake that handle customer relations and they get enough shit as it is.

Haha, I'm sure. I assume global efficiency requirements and lack of customer demand will take BMW out of the manual game after the G8x.

[Savageenterprise]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

That's how BMW dealers have killed the 1er and 2er. Hamstrung from the beginning from BMW AG/ BMW NA with a lack of a sedan, wagon or GT lift-back model and then what models are in stock are Optioned up to where they are right near the higher line 3er models. Then for dealer reps sell the benefits of the 3er. This Combined that with oodles of inventory of 3er and 4er models vs having to special order a 2er optioned the way you want it and the customer will most often take what's available.

Here in my area, most 2 series models were fully optioned out to just below M2 pricing, such that if you came in looking for an M240 and it was priced at 51-53k you were like wait what ?!

Savageenterprise it looks like the same happened to you.

BMW dealers sell M4 all day long to buyers that don't want to wait for an M2. Especially if all the M2 on the lot are optioned up vs an M4 which has more standard features and far more attractive lease rates ...

That's exactly what happened. But who in their right mind is going to pay $$ like that for a basic model? It was like $650 PM with a few grand down. As you explained, it just doesn't make sense when you can get a nicer car with better/same features for a more attractive lease.

I think the deal on paper was even more atrocious because of the residual on the A4. It was something like 51% I believe.

[6MTFTMFW]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Sort of why it would be cool if BMW USA could work out a deal to continue to offer manuals on ED cars. Cut the dead dealership model out of the whole process.

Would be perfectly acceptable to me for BMW to offer MT on G20 as a special order only. Heck you can charge me $1500 extra like people used to pay for Automatic slushbox

[ShocknAwe]

Pretty used to having the things I like about cars killed off. I'd give it 5 more years before manuals aren't even offered at all in the US. Even for special order

[Run Silent]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Pretty used to having the things I like about cars killed off. I'd give it 5 more years before manuals aren't even offered at all in the US. Even for special order

I am kind of hoping that it goes the way of the horse. No one really uses a horse for transportation anymore, but they still enjoy riding them for fun.

If we could at least purchase manual cars that can be used for fun indefinitely, that would at least be a bone I would gnaw on.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by 6MTFTMFW

Would be perfectly acceptable to me for BMW to offer MT on G20 as a special order only. Heck you can charge me $1500 extra like people used to pay for Automatic slushbox

Special orders aren't really the answer. A headache for the manufacturers. We've been used to many more individual options here in Europe, but we are losing many of those separate options right now in Europe, including BMW UK. Packages are taking over. All about type approval and emission/fuel consumption testing. WLTP (Europe) dictates all optional builds have to be tested, may be the same for EPA in the US. Even wheel options require separate testing for emissions/fuel consumption over here. Manufacturers have to rationalise production variables to keep costs down.

Take out the MT option, even the RWD option, (some of our models are now limited to xDrive for the same reasons), and the task of type approval and testing is trimmed immediately.

[JohnEnglish]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Special orders aren't really the answer. A headache for the manufacturers. We've been used to many more individual options here in Europe, but we are losing many of those separate options right now in Europe, including BMW UK. Packages are taking over. All about type approval and emission/fuel consumption testing. WLTP (Europe) dictates all optional builds have to be tested, may be the same for EPA in the US. Even wheel options require separate testing for emissions/fuel consumption over here. Manufacturers have to rationalise production variables to keep costs down.

Take out the MT option, even the RWD option, (some of our models are now limited to xDrive for the same reasons), and the task of type approval and testing is trimmed immediately.

All driverain combinations have to be be tested here. That's why the new Corvette only has the DCT. GM said the take rate of the manual C7 dropped from over 50% when it was introduced in 2014 to less than 20%. GM said that they couldn't justify the engineering, testing, tuning, and certification of another drivetrain when the take rate was so low.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Pretty used to having the things I like about cars killed off. I'd give it 5 more years before manuals aren't even offered at all in the US. Even for special order

Miata, Wrangler, Boxster/Cayman are not going anywhere and will all have a manual option as long as anything will.

[Run Silent]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Miata, Wrangler, Boxster/Cayman are not going anywhere and will all have a manual option as long as anything will.

I will gladly make a handsome wager that the Boxster will drop the manual transmission option for the US market very shortly. Like within the next 24-48mos. I think for 2018, the take rate on manual transmission Boxsters in the US was something like 4.14%.

Preuninger says that Porsche is committed to keeping the manual for at least the next 10 years, but doesn't specify which models will keep it.

[clee1982]

probably 911 is the only one that will survive to the last with manual...

[JohnEnglish]

Originally Posted by clee1982

probably 911 is the only one that will survive to the last with manual...

Special edition 911s that they can charge $$$$ for.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Miata, Wrangler, Boxster/Cayman are not going anywhere and will all have a manual option as long as anything will.

You mean not a crappy A4?

[EstorilM240]

Originally Posted by Run Silent

I will gladly make a handsome wager that the Boxster will drop the manual transmission option for the US market very shortly. Like within the next 24-48mos. I think for 2018, the take rate on manual transmission Boxsters in the US was something like 4.14%.

Preuninger says that Porsche is committed to keeping the manual for at least the next 10 years, but doesn't specify which models will keep it.

I will gladly take the other side of that bet, that Porsche will offer a manual Boxster to the US, through model year 2023. The bigger risk IMO is if they decide to stop producing the Boxster after this generation given their cash cow of Macans and Cayennes.

The safest cars for keeping a manual for 10+ years are the ones with heavy Euro/South America sales and/or high US take rates. Mustang, Golf/GTI/R, Miata, 86/BRZ, WRX/STi. The first three are moderately likely to be around through into the 2030s. The last two have much more uncertain. Of course, the 2020s is about to be one of the most change-filled decades in our automotive lifetimes, so it's anyone's bet what happens and what the pace is.

[Red Bread]

Agreed. I think the non GT 911 will lose the manual well before the Box/Cay.

[10"]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

I think many of us that buy manuals don't want a car as large as the B9 A4, G20 3er or, well any taxi, er, MB. I wouldn't buy a G20 even if it came with a stick, big fat thing. Same goes for the A4.

I loved my two B5's and would buy a manual RS3 tomorrow. But I don't even see the current A4 sized class as appealing, regardless of transmission.

This.

A manual RS3 would be a beautiful thing!