Despite their increasing absence in cars amid the rise of electric mobility, gearboxes like this one on the BMW M2 won't be disappearing anytime soon, the company says. BMW/dpaBMW M will continue to build cars with manual gearboxes for as long as drivers 'love' them.That's according to Fran van Meel, BMW M chief executive, who told the PA news agency at the recent Le Mans 24 Hours race that 'if you love them, we're going to offer them, you can buy them.'He added that though 'it's getting more difficult' to create cars with manual gearboxes, they would build them 'for as long' as they can.AdvertisementAdvertisementBMW M unveiled its latest Neue Klasse concept at the motorsport event in France, with the new electric model bringing a quad-motor setup and a range of innovative material uses, including natural fibre technology which brings the same high strength as carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) but with a lower environmental impact. It showcased a first look at the upcoming electric M3.However, unlike many competitors, BMW M will be offering the next M3 with either electric or petrol setups, though no plug-in hybrid version will be available to fill the gap between the two."We wanted to pass that decision on to the customer," van Meel said when asked about the choice of offering electric and petrol models."I will offer you the best combustion one there is, and at the same time, there's one competitor that is quicker, and that's the electric one. So it's up to the customer to decide 'which one do I like most'.