BMW M5: manuals for US only
BMW is to build a manual gearbox into the M5 -- but only for the US market.
In a move that could be viewed as perverse, the country where the auto reigns supreme and where very few drivers know how to use a manual gearbox, will receive the only M5s with a stick shift.
In the rest of the world including the UK, the only option has been the seven-speed sequential manual box, which uses an automated clutch. US drivers of the M5 will now get a six-speed box and shortened rations, although the 0-60mph time remains unchanged at 4.7 seconds.
BMW said that the situation could change if demand warranted it.