![]() New car technologies are trying to push the driver out of the picture. Tech is pushing towards less driver engagement, not more.Ī manual transmission is for driving engagement. The bar to include one - unless it's a manual-only special like the Toyota GR Corolla or Honda Civic Type R - is prohibitively high. Throwing a manual transmission into the development process adds complexity and costs - for what is ultimately be dead-end technology. But EV development is expensive and that has forced manufacturers to become far more judicious and streamlined about car manufacturing - using the same platforms, engines and transmissions on several vehicles. A manual gearbox is simpler and cheaper to produce than an automatic one, so using them helped to bring down costs. Until recently, manual transmissions appeared in the base models of several affordable cars. Cost-cutting makes developing manuals hard to justify But it's not certain whether those will be implemented in production cars or whether buyers would want them if they did. Ford and Toyota have patents for wholly unnecessary electronic manual transmissions. Dodge's new electric muscle car will have an "eRupt" manual shifting component. Some manufacturers are experimenting with bringing the manual transmission into the electric era in a simulated fashion. ![]() Most hybrids stick with CVTs or - if looking for some driving engagement - conventional automatic transmissions. But hybrid tech has grown to the point where a stick shift would not be helpful even if it were feasible. Honda offered some early hybrids with a manual. There's no reason to shift as you get peak torque on tap. Electric motors generally use a single gear. The automotive world is going electric and manual transmissions have no relevance in that world. Electric and electrified cars don't need manual transmissions The last time we checked with Jeep, the manual Wrangler take rate was about 10% - the same as the percentage who still opt for the two-door model. And the Jeep Wrangler only offers a stick on its V6 engine. Ford just pulled the manual from non-GT Mustang models. But even some manual transmission stalwarts are faltering. Vehicles like the Porsche 911 and Subaru WRX still have sticks due to high demand. There isn't a single justification for putting a manual in a car in 2022 beyond sheer driver engagement, which is a reason but not a practical one. The laundry list of practical reasons one used to opt for a manual - fuel economy? - no longer exist. They outperform humans with a stick shift, whether it's on track or in everyday life. Current auto boxes are both efficient and intuitive. Automatic transmissions are better than manual transmissions.Īutomatic transmissions have become far better than they once were. The forces at work against the manual transmission are insurmountable, and even the #savethemanuals hashtag has profound "old man shouting into the wind" energy. The debate is not so much whether the manual transmission is dying but where it resides on the death continuum, with only a few niche models keeping it on life support. ![]() And my sentiments feel like even more of an anachronism. But each year, the list of vehicles offering manual transmissions grows smaller. I still own one as my technical "daily driver," even though it's seldom driven daily while I'm testing cars. ![]()
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