Article Summary
- G80 BMW M3 production ends February 2027, confirmed on the record by BMW M North America Product Manager Scott Stirling.
- The G84 successor arrives in summer 2028, leaving an 18-month gap with no new combustion M3 on dealer lots.
- The 2027 M3 CS Handschalter is the last manual M3 BMW will build -- neither the G84 nor the electric ZA0 will offer a clutch pedal.
Our sources have been saying it for months. Now there’s an official statement attached to it. This is the last year of the G80 BMW M3 production in America. In an interview with Bimmerlife, Scott Stirling, BMW M’s North American Product Manager, explained why he picked the M3 CS Handschalter instead of an M4 CS manual. “Given the production cycles, this is the last model year of G80, so this was my only opportunity,” he said. He didn’t provide a timeline but our own sources point to an end of production in February 2027, but it’s unclear whether that applies to all markets.
The G84 — the next gasoline-powered M3 — does not arrive until summer 2028. That could be roughly an 18-month window with no new M3, at least not one with a combustion engine and an M badge on the trunk. An electric M3 is likely to hit the assembly line in 2027. Whether that electric model fills the gap in any meaningful way for the people who buy M3s today is a separate conversation.
So Why The Potential Gap In The M3 ICE Production?
Here is where it gets interesting from a production cycle perspective. The G80 is currently built in Munich. BMW has confirmed that Munich will transition exclusively to EVs by the end of 2027, and as a result, the G50 3 Series will be the first 3 Series not assembled there. The G84 M3, arriving in 2028, will also change production sites. The G84 will presumably follow the G50 to Dingolfing, where the new 3 Series will join the 5 Series and 7 Series on the line.
What Makes The M3 CS Handschalter A Unicorn
Which brings us back to why Stirling’s car matters beyond the personal choice. The 2027 M3 CS is exclusive to North America, starts at $108,450, and is offered strictly with rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual. It is the lightest G80 you can buy, nearly 75 pounds lighter than the base M3 if you opt for the carbon-ceramic brakes. The S58 makes 543 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. BMW has not said how many it will build, only that production will be “very limited.”
The M3 CS was automatic-only at its previous introduction. Getting a CS grade — carbon fiber bodywork, fixed rear seats, the full track-focused package — with a third pedal is not something BMW does routinely. That they did it here, for the final model year, in a North America-only configuration, says something about how they read the room. The Handschalter will be available to order in July, with deliveries starting in the fall.
What Comes Next, And What Doesn’t
Neither the G84 nor the electric ZA0 will have a manual gearbox. Sources are consistent on this. The days of a rear-wheel-drive manual M3 end when the G80 stops production. The ZA0 M3 electric will come with shift paddles and simulated gears, but it’s not the same as a mechanical six-speed manual transmission. So with BMW supposedly moving away from classic manuals, these last M3s and M4s, either in this new CS form, or standard rear-wheel drive models, could become collectors items down the road.
To learn more about the new BMW M3 CS Handschalter, we spoke with Stirling a few months ago and you can watch the video below:
