Want The New BMW Z4 With A Manual? Go To Europe

American-spec Z4s will have the eight-speed automatic only.

We should be thrilled the new BMW Z4 even exists. After all, the premium roadster segment is not exactly the most profitable for automakers. But as we learned when speaking with BMW at Paris not long ago, the Z4 was a justifiable model in part due to the Porsche 718 Boxster and its winning formula. Sure, there’s plenty of BMW roadster heritage going back decades, but Porsche proved a modern small roadster can be done right.

As we already knew, the new Z4 will be offered in the US with an eight-speed automatic transmission only. That may not please some potential buyers, but that alone shouldn’t prevent them from shunning the Z4 outright.

But if they really, really want a manual-equipped Z4, they’ll have to move to Europe. According to Car and Driver, a six-speed manual will be offered for the entry-level Z4 20i, a model which won’t even come to the US in the first place. However, BMW claims it has not entirely ruled out a manual-equipped Z4, but it’s not on the agenda right now. Also don’t think that the Z4 20i is some lighter weight “purist” version because it’s not.

Despite having the manual, it’s powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 197 hp. To compare, the refreshed 2018 Mazda MX-5 Miata now offers 181 hp and weighs just over 2,300 pounds.

Just because America isn’t getting a stick shift Z4 at the moment, there's no reason to get depressed. Think about it. The new Z4 was at least engineered to handle a manual, so it’s okay to keep dreaming. The Z4 options America will have are more than good enough. The base Z4 sDrive30i will come powered by that same turbo four only in a higher state of tune (255 hp). The M40i will have a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder with 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Ideally, that’s the engine for the manual.

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10 New Cars From Europe We'd Like To Buy In The United States

Due to dumb trade regulations, it doesn't make sense for these cars to be sold in the US.

Unless you live somewhere without internet - in which case, how are you reading this article? - you probably know that the automotive market in the US is very different from overseas. Europe, in particular, has many models that aren't sold in the US, likely because their sales would be too low to justify the cost of exporting them. We've come up with a list of ten new cars from Europe that aren't sold in the US, that we would love to drive.

Audi RS4 Avant

One of the most commonly known facts about American car buyers is that they hate wagons. American buyers think that crossovers and SUVs are more practical, and sedans are better looking. Perhaps this is why Audi decided to give us the RS5 coupe rather than the RS4 Avant. The RS4 shares the same 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 producing 444 horsepower, but with the added practicality of a wagon. Audi partially made it up to us with the similarly practical RS5 Sportback, but some wounds will never heal.

Mercedes-AMG C63 Wagon

Like the RS5, the Mercedes C63 AMG is available in the US as a coupe, as well as a sedan and convertible. Unfortunately, the estate version is not sold in the US. The more powerful, AWD E63 wagon is sold in the US, but we'd still love to have the C63 wagon with its tire-burning RWD setup. We will get the GLC 63 SUV, but that will also be AWD only.

Ford Fiesta ST

Another common hatred in the US is small hot hatchbacks. American buyers are obsessed with SUVs, which is why we can no longer have excellent cars like the new Ford Fiesta ST. We did receive the Fiesta ST for a few glorious years, but the all-new three-cylinder model won't be sold in the US. In fact, the Fiesta, Focus, and Fusion will all be killed off to make room for SUVs. The fun Fiesta is dead, and all we have left is the less impressive EcoSport.

Volkswagen Polo and Up!

The Volkswagen Golf is one of the few hatchbacks that sells well in the US, but VW has never sold either of its smaller hatchbacks, the Polo and Up!. That's quite a shame, because the Polo GTI and Up GTI both look like fun hot hatchbacks that we'd enjoy. The Polo GTI is powered by 2.0-liter turbo-four producing 197 hp. The smaller Up GTI sports a 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbo with 114 hp. Neither is a powerhouse, but both look extremely fun to drive.

Peugeot 208 GTI

The GTI name has become synonymous with the VW Golf, but other European models also use the name. The Peugeot 208 GTI is yet another small hot hatchback that we don't get in the US. In fact, we don't get any French cars. The 208 is around the same size as the Fiesta, and the GTI version is powered by a 1.6-liter turbo-four producing 205 hp.

Hyundai i30 N

Hyundai showed off its first ever N model with the i30 N hatchback. Unfortunately, while that car has already been available in Europe, we have to wait for the arrival of the Veloster N. We like the styling of the Veloster N, but wish Hyundai would import the more practical i30 N to sell alongside it.

Citroen C4 Cactus

Since SUVs are so prevalent in the US, only one has made our list: the Citroen C4 Cactus. The Cactus hasn't made our list because it is in any way sporty, we just dig its funky looks. This mini SUV's party piece is the unique "Airbumps" on the doors, which are designed to protect the car from dents in parking lots and make it look more like an actual cactus.

Lotus Exige Sport 410

Among the three sports cars on this list, only one comes from a manufacturer that currently sells in the US. Lotus used to sell the Exige in the US, but had to stop once the car's airbag exemption ran out. This is a shame, because the latest Lotus Exige Sport 410 packs a 410-hp supercharged V6 engine with a curb weight of only 2,300 pounds.

Alpine A110

Among the French cars on our list, none is more tantalizing than the Alpine A110. This mid-engine sports car is powered by a 1.8-liter turbocharged engine with 250 hp. If it was sold in the US, it would make a great rival for the Alfa Romeo 4C and the Porsche 718 Cayman.

TVR Griffith

While many cars don't make it to the US because they wouldn't sell in great numbers, some don't cross the pond because they are truly dangerous. TVR cars have always had a reputation for offering drivers a white-knuckle ride, but the new Griffith looks like a very interesting sports car. It's powered by a tuned version of the Mustang's 5.0-liter V8, making 500 hp. There is a small chance that this car will sell in the US, but we won't get our hopes up.

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GM Powertrain Europe still going strong

General Motors gave the world every reason to believe it was done with Europe last year when it sold its Opel, Vauxhall and European GM Financial business to competitor PSA Group for $2.3 billion.

So, what's GM up to in Turin, and who is Pierpaolo Antonioli?

Antonioli, 54, is CEO of GM Powertrain Europe, directing the Global Propulsion Systems operations in Turin to supply diesel engines around the world. The former Fiat powertrain engineer moved to GM as the U.S. automaker's partnership with Fiat was ending in 2005, when GM decided to go it alone on diesel engines.

Although GM got rid of its European auto companies last year, it determined the diesel engine business was strong enough to keep. Antonioli has been running the Turin center since 2009. He spoke with Automotive News Europe Correspondent Nick Gibbs about why GM is keeping this foothold in Europe and why — despite the black eye diesel has gotten in public perception — the technology is still important to the company's global strategy.

Q: How big is the Turin center?

A: We have 750 employees, or 900 including contractors. It was built in 2009 inside the campus of the Polytechnic University of Turin. More than 50 percent of our people come from the Polytechnic. It is 100 percent GM-owned.

The center was established at the end of the Fiat partnership. Why has GM decided to keep it after selling Opel?

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We have existing competencies and a very important supply chain in automotive in Turin. For GM, this is the only center in the world developing diesel and diesel competence, even if the center is leveraging a lot of activities in the U.S.

GM sold more than 600,000 diesels last year, of which about 325,000 were for Opel. Why keep the center in Europe now?

The Turin center is serving the world. It's not serving Europe. Our market today is North America, South America, Thailand, Korea and India. There are a lot of things to do for the future.

A second important point is that Turin is not just developing diesel, but also developing competencies. This is one of the engineering center's most important products.

Does GM expect to grow its diesel sales without Opel?

We are launching the new 3.0-liter, six-cylinder diesel in the new Chevrolet Silverado pickup in the U.S. right now. This is a new segment for us. We expect to have very interesting volumes.

We have five global diesel families, including the 6.6-liter Duramax V-8 in the full-size Silverado, the 2.8-liter four-cylinder in the Colorado one-ton pickup and the 1.6-liter diesel in the Chevy Equinox and Cruze. We have an important strategy around diesel that starts now in North America.

Were all five diesel engine families developed in Turin?

All with the exception of the 6.6-liter Duramax. All the diesels will converge here, and we are concentrating completely on the development of the next generation of big engines.

Will GM shift output of the 1.6-liter Opel diesels to the U.S. from Europe?

We are currently buying engines from Opel. For the next generation, we will probably have a different solution.

Does the center plan to develop an architecture for a diesel engine that can encompass four- and six-cylinder units?

That's what we are doing. This started from the [modular Cylinder Set Strategy first used in gasoline engines], in which we define a model architecture based on cylinder sets, so you can go from a three-cylinder to a four-cylinder to a six-cylinder. The new six-cylinder is the first of a new generation we will launch in the future.

How do you create an architecture that can cope with the different global emissions standards?

Today, we are focusing on the most complex market for emissions, which is the U.S. Then we can scale for all the regulations globally. In the past, automakers developed diesels in Europe because Europe was the region for diesel, then moved them to North America. Now we develop them for North America, then use them for the rest of the world. It's much easier.

You have said that you believe the diesel share globally for cars and light commercial vehicles would stay at 20 percent. Why?

For sure, the market will go down for pure diesel, but we will also see an increase in diesel hybrids.

Can the diesel's reputation be saved in the aftermath of the Volkswagen scandal?

Everybody was caught a little bit by surprise by the scandal. The problem is we should have reacted strongly, both from the automaker perspective and from a supplier perspective. It took time to react and say that diesel is not the dirty guy. The reputation, in my opinion, can be recovered, but it will take time.

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