Designs for a 7-speed manual transmission have been submitted for patent by the folks at BMW. As seen from the schematic leaked online, 7th gear is selected when the selector is moved to the horizontal right position. The people at BMW are not the first to develop such a gearbox, as since 2011 their colleagues at Porsche implemented a similar solution in the new 911.
The problem faced by those manufacturers who try to develop such boxes is that the ratios are too close and therefore there is a risk of wrong selection by the driver.
The Germans have invented a way to electrically charge (with sensors) the transmission fluid to prevent the wrong gear from being selected. Information even states that this technology can even be applied to an eight-speed gearbox!