BMW's Formula One-style gearbox may become only performance transmission option (AutoWeek Magazine)
09/20/2002 04:43:28 PM

Do you like the stick shift and the clutch pedal in your BMW M car? Enjoy it now because the folks in Munich have seen the future and it's called SMG (as in Sequential Manual Gearbox).

The company's second-generation SMG is an option on the M3, and the next-generation M5 will also feature the Formula One racing-style paddle shifters, sans the traditional clutch pedal and gearshift lever. According to Rolf Scheibner, product manager for M cars, it won't be long before SMG is the only transmission option for the performance cars.

"With SMG, you can shift faster and it is better for the engine, the clutch and the transmission," says Scheibner. "With the M cars, top performance is the key, and with SMG, it is the top performance."