There's A Reason The BMW M3 CS Is Only For North America

The M3 CS Handschalter is a limited-edition 'Thank You' to US BMW M-car buyers.

2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter

Photo by: BMW

Jeff Glucker

By: Jeff Glucker

May 26, at 3:00pm ET

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The Breakdown

The 2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter is a limited-production model only sold in North America.
BMW says the US is the largest market for M products, and buyers have asked for a manual gearbox M3.
The starting price is $108,450, and production begins in July.

The 2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter appears to be a token of appreciation for the brand's most fervent manual-transmission fans. You don't exactly see all that many special editions served up with rear-wheel drive and a manual.

That's precisely what we have here, and the reason for such a model is simple: the US Market is the largest for all things M. According to BMWBlog, BMW says the North American buyers "have made it clear to us that they still want these special, high-performance cars with manual transmissions."

Gallery: 2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter

2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter

Source: BMW

BMW remains hard at work on the next-generation M3. That car will likely ditch any possibility of pure rear-wheel power flows and manual gearboxes. Thus, the M3 CS Handschalter serves not just as a 'thank you' to the US market but also as a proper sendoff for the entire G80 generation of the M3.

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Of course, BMW won't be building a lot of these. Production begins in July, and each car carries a starting price tag of $108,450. There's no word on actual production numbers, but BMW claims the car will be offered in 'very limited numbers.'

Motor1's Take: Despite being a rather spendy proposition, I'm sure BMW will have zero issues moving every M3 CS Handschalter it produces. M-car fans love a proper manual gearbox, and this last-gasp for the G80 certainly delivers on its promises as a proper send-off machine.

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