North American G29 6MT Production Figures??
- Thread starter KBCobra
- Start date
427Cobra@
Ok, seems like this one is a tougher question that I thought. Our friends at ChatGPT came up with the following estimate. Figured I'd share it for anyone interested
Since BMW never released official U.S. Handschalter production numbers, the best we can do is estimate from sales data and the known production timeline.
Here's my reasoning:
My personal estimate for the final number is around 3,000 U.S.-market manual Z4 M40i Handschalters. That's the figure I'd use if I were evaluating rarity. It could end up a few hundred higher or lower, but I'd be surprised if it exceeded 4,000.
For context, a total U.S. run of roughly 3,000 cars would make the Handschalter:
Since BMW never released official U.S. Handschalter production numbers, the best we can do is estimate from sales data and the known production timeline.
Here's my reasoning:
- BMW sold about 2,129 Z4s in the U.S. during 2024, and roughly 65% were manual Handschalters, which gives about 1,384 manual cars. (The manual arrived during the 2024 model year, so demand was exceptionally strong.)
- Z4 demand actually increased during the model's final months, with BMW reporting a 4.9% sales increase in early 2026 as enthusiasts rushed to buy the car before production ended.
- U.S. production continued through April 2026, with the model ending production entirely in May 2026.
My estimate
| Model Year | Estimated U.S. Handschalter Volume |
|---|---|
| 2024 | ~1,380 |
| 2025 | ~1,000–1,400 |
| 2026 | ~300–600 |
| Total | ~2,700–3,400 |
For context, a total U.S. run of roughly 3,000 cars would make the Handschalter:
- Much rarer than most modern M cars.
- Similar in rarity to many special-edition BMWs that later became collectible.
- Likely one of the last BMW six-cylinder rear-wheel-drive manual convertibles ever sold in the U.S
A bit more granularity on the San Remo Green variant I own from ChatGPT:
If your Handschalter is San Remo Green, you may have one of the more desirable specs.
BMW specifically made San Remo Green Metallic exclusive to the manual-transmission Z4 M40i Handschalter in the U.S. when the package was introduced. Automatic Z4 M40is could not be ordered in that color.
That means every U.S.-market San Remo Green G29 Z4 is a manual Handschalter, which gives the color a special connection to the model. BMW enthusiasts have generally viewed San Remo Green over Cognac as one of the "signature" Handschalter combinations.
As for rarity, nobody outside BMW knows the exact breakdown by color. If we use the rough estimate of ~3,000 total U.S. Handschalters through the end of production and assume San Remo Green accounted for perhaps 10–20% of orders, you could be looking at something on the order of:
Those are educated guesses, not official figures.
If your Handschalter is San Remo Green, you may have one of the more desirable specs.
BMW specifically made San Remo Green Metallic exclusive to the manual-transmission Z4 M40i Handschalter in the U.S. when the package was introduced. Automatic Z4 M40is could not be ordered in that color.
That means every U.S.-market San Remo Green G29 Z4 is a manual Handschalter, which gives the color a special connection to the model. BMW enthusiasts have generally viewed San Remo Green over Cognac as one of the "signature" Handschalter combinations.
As for rarity, nobody outside BMW knows the exact breakdown by color. If we use the rough estimate of ~3,000 total U.S. Handschalters through the end of production and assume San Remo Green accounted for perhaps 10–20% of orders, you could be looking at something on the order of:
- Low estimate: ~300 U.S. cars
- Mid estimate: ~450–600 U.S. cars
- High estimate: ~700+ U.S. cars
Those are educated guesses, not official figures.
For the first year we, in the UK, could only get the 6MT is frozen dark green, whilst I don't dislike the colour, I wouldn't buy one and neither did many people, there were only 35 manuals registered up until mid June, this compares against circa 2000 auto's registered.
Wow - that's very interesting Sars as I would have thought that since its the closest to British Racing Green- it should have been a winner on that side of the pond - LOL! I love the San Remo and also the Frozen Green, but went with the San Remo as I thought it would be a lot easier to maintain? Guess time will tell.