According to the WaPo - The death of the stick shift is almost here

[dps]

According to the story, "Driving a manual vehicle is a lost art. Hopes of a revival have fallen flat. With the rise of EVs and autonomous vehicles, only a few die-hards are holding on."

And all the diehards of lost arts are over here! - https://wapo.st/4gJh1ww

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[Postal Bob]

If true, that just makes our cars much more valuable as a collector car.

 

[WItoTX]

I can't even imagine how bored I'd have to be to read something from the WaPo lol

#savethemanuals

 

[GAGT350]

According to the story, "Driving a manual vehicle is a lost art. Hopes of a revival have fallen flat. With the rise of EVs and autonomous vehicles, only a few die-hards are holding on."

And all the diehards of lost arts are over here! - https://wapo.st/4gJh1ww

Check this out from about a month ago:

 

[GAGT350]

Check this out from about a month ago:

Go ahead a click the link it may popup or it is easy to find.

 

[GAGT350]

Go ahead a click the link it may popup or it is easy to find.

Another bit of info.:
While much of the industry has entirely abandoned the manual transmission, the Ford Mustang stands as one of the last true holdouts of the traditional stick shift. In fact, it is now the cheapest new manual V8 sports car left on the market.
The current lineup highlights how Ford is protecting the third pedal for enthusiasts, along with some modern compromises:

• The V8 Holdouts: If you want to row your own gears, you have to step up to the 5.0L Coyote V8. The standard Mustang GT comes equipped with a Getrag 6-speed manual (featuring automatic rev-matching).
• The Track Weapon: If you upgrade to the track-focused Mustang Dark Horse, Ford steps it up by swapping in a heavy-duty TREMEC 6-speed manual.
• The EcoBoost Cut: The entry-level, 4-cylinder EcoBoost Mustang no longer offers a manual option; it is paired exclusively with a 10-speed automatic. This change effectively pushed the entry price for a stick-shift Mustang past the $45,000 mark.

"Out of our cold, dead hands" Ford's management has made it clear that they aren't planning to drop the manual anytime soon. Ford CEO Jim Farley drew a hard line in the sand, publicly reassuring enthusiasts that the company "doesn't build boring cars" and famously stated that the manual transmission would be taken "out of our cold, dead hands."
While the Camaro and Challenger have bowed out, the Mustang is actively capitalizing on being the last traditional, rear-wheel-drive American muscle car offering a V8 and a manual gearbox.

 

[wingnutt]

…maybe they havent heard of the new improved manual, called DCT

 

[mabcim]

My son has a Civic Type R as his daily, because he want to be connected to the car. I didn’t even have a stick at the time, or the entire time he was growing up, so not sure where he got that desire from. So there are some that will still want them, but I’m sure it is dying off. Heck, many 16-18 yr olds aren’t even concerned with getting a driver’s license.

 

[falcongtho3]

Strangely enough; Ferrari has introduced a manual gated shifter system fir its automatic, I think it may even have a third pedal and another company is offering a retro fit kit for the C8 to shift its automatic. Since I can afford neither I can only hope Ford continues the proper set up on the Mustang and that others may see its appeal on other vehicles. Sadly many new drivers are pre occupied with texting, talking and other things instead of...driving, It amazes me how mant people don't believe I've almost always driven stick cars exclusively, like my SN95 Mach 1 and SN197 Boss 302. Next up...probably an S500 Mach 1..stick of course.

 

[VictorH]

That's too bad but things have been heading that way for years.
Interesting study out of Japan, manual trans is good for your brain!

https://driving.ca/auto-news/awards...r-transmissions-dementia-brain-exercise-study

 

[Hack]

There are currently ~25 different vehicles available to purchase new that you can get with a manual transmission. The V8 is less common and the manual is less common, so they have to specify both to make the point.

So they can't say manual transmission by itself, or manual transmission sporty vehicles are gone. There are plenty of options still. I would encourage those that like manual transmission vehicles to buy one.

I'm hoping we get Camaro back and that GM will see the light with the next version of the Corvette. It would be great if Dodge or someone else would offer a new V8 manual car as well.

 

[Gregdd]

What about all the automatics that can be shifted manually. I know it's lame, but people actually do it.
I am really amazed about people bragging they have a self driving car. They have to play on there phone while the car drives them.

 

[The Watchman]

^ 22’ s550 ROUSH P2 800+ RWHP t56 Magnum swap

 

[Gdawg3]

According to the story, "Driving a manual vehicle is a lost art. Hopes of a revival have fallen flat. With the rise of EVs and autonomous vehicles, only a few die-hards are holding on."

And all the diehards of lost arts are over here! - https://wapo.st/4gJh1ww

Say it ain’t so!

According to the story, "Driving a manual vehicle is a lost art. Hopes of a revival have fallen flat. With the rise of EVs and autonomous vehicles, only a few die-hards are holding on."

And all the diehards of lost arts are over here! - https://wapo.st/4gJh1ww

 

[Anyone3505]

IMO the manual transmission already bottom-ed out and is now slowly increasing in popularity, it's just only going to be found in enthusiast vehicles. They don't really make sense for many vehicle types with how good most modern autos are.

But they're still the best at providing an engaging driving experience (sports, muscle, roadsters, etc) and for having full control over the powertrain (rock crawling).

I'm fully ok with not having manual options in a Sequoia or Rav4 or F150 because these will be replaced by BEVs (trucks will probably roll with range extenders) anyway.

In the enthusiast space, we've lost some manual cars recently- Corvette dropping it with the c8, the GTI and Golf R with the mk8.5 refreshes, and the Charger/Challenger electric/I6 automatic fiasco, plus of course the Camaro's 3rd (?) discontinuation.

However, we also have some new entrants that are/were manual-only (Civic Type-R/Acura Type-S, GR Corolla) and a couple cars that recently added manuals when previously were automatic only (Z Nissmo, Supra/BMW Z4).

As long as enthusiasts demand manuals, some will exist, even if it's $$$. The biggest current risks to manuals are, IMO, potential lack of interest in younger generations and emissions regulations. For the later, it is increasingly harder to hit the same emissions requirements with manual transmission compared to automatics where they can program in short-shifts, gear-skipping, etc.

Further, i see new enthusiast vehicles getting narrower in scope/appeal but with more focused characteristics in the future. Basically i think people will start min-maxing their cars: cheap to operate, super comfy, but very numb electric in the driveway and a loud, engaging ICE in the garage. If automatics are even offered in the new versions of these fun ICE cars, the manual take rate will be relatively high. You've got boring and comfy on one side and exciting and loud on the other. I think people will start gravitating to the extremes, leaving little room for boring automatic ICE vehicles.

Want a commuter/daily/versatile vehicle anyone can drive? Almost every electric is cheaper to operate (fuel+maintenance), faster, and more comfortable (less NVH) than every ICE crossover, SUV, and sedan. I see a world in 15 years where almost every one of these new sales are electric, which are, BY FAR, the highest volume of new vehicle sales. Many of these will support great level 2+ self-driving, and most people will be on literal autopilot most of the time. This is a good thing!

And then when you want to feel something different when driving- when you want (authentic) sounds, rumbling, and an engaging drive- WHEN YOU WANT A REAL EXPERIENCE (which may be the ONLY experience some people want)- you'll get a fun ICE with a stick shift. IMO there will be real desire for these kinds of cars and we won't be limited to a handful of options. I think these will make up the bulk of new ICE vehicles on the market.

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