No SMG for Z4 M (Updated)

Newswheel staff :: 15 November 2005 :: Filed under Front engine sportscar, Roadster, BMW, BMW Z4, BMW Z4M, Europe & UK, US

[Click on an image to view]

Robot gearbox binned?

Fans of BMW’s robotised manual gearbox, known as SMG, we at Newswheel are surely not. But there’s no doubting how popular such technology has become. So, what to make of news from the US that the Z4 M (and indeed, the rest of the revised Z4 range) will not be offered with the SMG box?

US mag AutoWeek has the skinny on BMW’s apparent U-turn on its SMG strategy. The magazine claims the new Z4 M will not be offered with an SMG option, and that furthermore SMG will be deleted from the rest of the Z4 range when the revised model goes on sale early next year. Since the Z4 M shares its basic drivetrain with the outgoing M3, which is offered with the SMG box, it’s unlikely this decision – if true - has been taken for cost or technical reasons. What’s more, the fact that the news comes from the US could be significant. It’s well known that BMW’s SMG boxes don’t go down as well in the US as they do in Europe. So much so that BMW is expected to launch a fully manual variant of the currently SMG-only M5 in the US. We’ve contacted BMW in the UK for confirmation of SMG’s status on the new Z4 in the UK and Europe and will report back with an update ASAP.

Update:
BMW UK has issued Newswheel with a non-denial denial. For now it won’t confirm whether the Z4 will be offered with the SMG box or if there will indeed be a traditional manual option introduced on the M5.

Linkage:
AutoWeek