how long do you think they will keep making cars in manual transmission?

[Vdubchaos]

Hopefully forever

I don't mind automatic for my basic transportation/A to B car.

But for my weekend car/fun car, I demand Manual.

I think they will go away once cars are over whelmingly electric driven. I think we have a few decades though before that happens. Oil companies still have our nuts in a vice grip.

It will never happen. Electric cars have been around for 100 years.....and they always failed/always will fail (regardless of the hype).

There is simply NO alternative energy source......and NOTHING on the horizon.

 

[_Rick_]

Well, there's fuel cells.
If it is possible to build those cheaper, and also possible to get hydrogen out of water, instead of getting it from carbohydrates, then they become a viable option.
Fuel cells are quite efficient at generating electricity, chemical storage has little degradation and toxic byproducts, and producing hydrogen can be done by using surplus electricity at night.

It appears to be more realistic than battery/capacitor tech suddenly making an insane jump in capability.

What's on the horizon, is that gas prices will rise so much, that long distance travel becomes just as impossible on gas, as it is on batteries now.

 

[NutBucket]

It really does boil down to supply and demand. Most Toyota buyers don't care for an MT so naturally their lineup doesn't have a lot of MT availability. Across the street at Honda almost all their cars are available with an MT, even a hybrid. They wouldn't be building them if someone wasn't buying them.

And the Americans are moving back towards offering more MTs anyway. Hell, even Buick has two offerings with an MT. And yes, you can't get a V6 ATS with a stick but the turbo 4 is definitely NOT slow. Choices people, choices!

Its obviously a narrow market but it does exist and will likely continue to exist until we move to electric drive.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Well, there's fuel cells.
If it is possible to build those cheaper, and also possible to get hydrogen out of water, instead of getting it from carbohydrates, then they become a viable option.
Fuel cells are quite efficient at generating electricity, chemical storage has little degradation and toxic byproducts, and producing hydrogen can be done by using surplus electricity at night.

It appears to be more realistic than battery/capacitor tech suddenly making an insane jump in capability.

What's on the horizon, is that gas prices will rise so much, that long distance travel becomes just as impossible on gas, as it is on batteries now.

Fuel cell is not going to happen.

We are pulling out of Afghanistan and I'm not sure what will happen with their Lithium deposits or what effect it will have on Battery technology advancement.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Fuel cell is not going to happen.

We are pulling out of Afghanistan and I'm not sure what will happen with their Lithium deposits or what effect it will have on Battery technology advancement.

Is that why America went to Afghanistan. Huh. Always wondered why.

I like the feeling of being attached to my car: therefore I choose manual.
My daily driver is the tripo-tronic-techno-whatever-its-called-button-thing where i have the choice between automatic and manual. I never use the manual unless Im going up or down steep hills.

I dread the day the government tells me I cannot drive my own and that some computer needs to control it. Doubt it will ever happen in our lifetime.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Is that why America went to Afghanistan. Huh. Always wondered why.

Well, we don't go to war if there is no resources/or something for our Corps to exploit.

Unless you are talking WW2 or something, the last war worth fighting for.

 

[Bateluer]

They'll keep selling manual transmissions because people cling to them. So long as they are selling, they'll keep making them. Their numbers and percentages sold will continue to taper down though, and eventually they'll be as rare as leaded gas.

When MTs finally die out, I'll be happy. Them idiots have such difficulty driving them, its a wonder they're still allowed. They distract the driver, they're a PITA in stop/go city traffic, they cause accidents on hills, and the MT's in sports cars cause major traffic accidents.

 

[JackBurton]

They'll keep selling manual transmissions because people cling to them. So long as they are selling, they'll keep making them. Their numbers and percentages sold will continue to taper down though, and eventually they'll be as rare as leaded gas.

When MTs finally die out, I'll be happy. Them idiots have such difficulty driving them, its a wonder they're still allowed. They distract the driver, they're a PITA in stop/go city traffic, they cause accidents on hills, and the MT's in sports cars cause major traffic accidents.

lol, from what? Texting? You have got to be joking.

 

[NutBucket]

He can't be serious....

 

[Ferzerp]

Fail troll is fail.

 

[Naeeldar]

They'll keep selling manual transmissions because people cling to them. So long as they are selling, they'll keep making them. Their numbers and percentages sold will continue to taper down though, and eventually they'll be as rare as leaded gas.

When MTs finally die out, I'll be happy. Them idiots have such difficulty driving them, its a wonder they're still allowed. They distract the driver, they're a PITA in stop/go city traffic, they cause accidents on hills, and the MT's in sports cars cause major traffic accidents.

Lol. I just moved over a DSG car (automatical manual) and this is just plain hilarious. I know for a fact that the manual forced me to pay attention more to the road than my current and previous car. I could tell as soon as i moved into an auto 4 years ago that I wasn't paying as much attention and in some cases texting. It's far too easy to drive.

Hope this is a troll post.

 

[Midwayman]

They'll die when there is finally an overwhelming reason to give them up. I suspect the 1-2 combo of electric cars (which need limited gear) and autonomous cars (which need an automatic) will get rid of a lot of hold outs- especially the autonomous cars. The thing that seems sure death is that while when many of us grew up, automatics were an expensive option, and manuals were still a common sight. What about people who grew up in the auto era? There will be less of them that ever learned to drive stick? And their kids? Even less. I'm sure there will always be area of the world where they don't die, but It probably isn't more than a couple generations away from dying in the US outside of specialty cars. Its almost there already.

 

[Railgun]

He can't be serious....

You forgot to address him as surely.

 

[NutBucket]

Perhaps..

Oh yeah, something about cold, dead hands too.

 

[camoxiong]

now days it's paddle shifting. paddle shifting cant even fell the power when you shift, like stepping on clutch when you floor the car

 

[kitatech]

It really does boil down to supply and demand. Most Toyota buyers don't care for an MT so naturally their lineup doesn't have a lot of MT availability. Across the street at Honda almost all their cars are available with an MT, even a hybrid. They wouldn't be building them if someone wasn't buying them.

And the Americans are moving back towards offering more MTs anyway. Hell, even Buick has two offerings with an MT. And yes, you can't get a V6 ATS with a stick but the turbo 4 is definitely NOT slow. Choices people, choices!

Its obviously a narrow market but it does exist and will likely continue to exist until we move to electric drive.

Talk about narrow....My Camry LE/i4/5-speed stick is a truly rare ride...

...and buying used I was lucky to find it, especially since I didn't want a Honda or Mazda, given how those "enthusiasts" run through the gears, whereas Toyo owners tend to be ol' farts...
....ironically my Cam was owned by a middle aged teacher who blew out the clutch in 90k miles requiring the dealer to rebuild it...it's smooth as silk now though....

 

[Fritzo]

I see manuals as being kept around for low-end performance cars, and not much else. High-end cars are getting paddles, which are proving to give superior performance (I understand Porsche's new PDK system is way faster than a manual), and everyone else wants automatics due to sheer comfort...maybe a bit of laziness.

 

[MagickMan]

I don't care how long, I've already done a few AT>MT swaps in my life.

I see manuals as being kept around for low-end performance cars, and not much else. High-end cars are getting paddles, which are proving to give superior performance (I understand Porsche's new PDK system is way faster than a manual), and everyone else wants automatics due to sheer comfort...maybe a bit of laziness.

PDK is faster, but who cares? It isn't nearly as fun to drive and I don't drag race anyway.

 

[Fritzo]

I don't care how long, I've already done a few AT>MT swaps in my life.



PDK is faster, but who cares? It isn't nearly as fun to drive and I don't drag race anyway.

Sad, but reality:

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/02/porsche-911-manual-transmission-phased-out-maybe.html

 

[BudAshes]

They'll keep selling manual transmissions because people cling to them. So long as they are selling, they'll keep making them. Their numbers and percentages sold will continue to taper down though, and eventually they'll be as rare as leaded gas.

When MTs finally die out, I'll be happy. Them idiots have such difficulty driving them, its a wonder they're still allowed. They distract the driver, they're a PITA in stop/go city traffic, they cause accidents on hills, and the MT's in sports cars cause major traffic accidents.

ban from garage forum

 

[rumpleforeskin]

Maybe the days of buying manual cars in the USA are numbered but in a lot of the other countries in the world manuals are not only still selling but are far more popular.

In the USA your roads generally lend themselves better to cars with auto boxes, the long straight roads with little in the way of sharp bends means that there is little moving up and down through the gear box when on a drive. So the difference between an manual and automatic is trivial making an auto the better choice as its easier to drive and offers very little disadvantages to a manual in these circumstances. Its also worth noting that your city stop start traffic is easier in an auto.

Conversely in Europe we have an abundance of old roads that that see speeds frequently ranging from 20mph through tight bends up to motorway speeds and back a few times a minute, doing this with an auto box is sluggish and very fuel inefficient. Though I do understand that newer autos are meant to be better.

A quick look online shows my car (A 2006 Manual Ford Mondeo) is 1.4 seconds faster 0-60mph than the auto car with the same engine. It was also cheaper to buy.

I think the popularity of either transmission will be reflected in the environment it will be used in.

 

[hans007]

they'll keep building them just in other countries where the cost is worth it or people prefer them.

in america they can't even get enough volume to actually certify and ship over that particularly transmission to go with that engine.

hell they dont even make manual camrys anymore. the new entry level CLA250 mercedes wont have one (DSG only and it is manual standard in the rest of the world) becuase no one would buy it. mercedes has a manual C300 from 2008 - 2011 and barely sold any.

i would not be surprised to see cars like the corolla eventually all go automatic also if they can cut the costs down to make it so automatic costs the same as manual because of better volumes.

 

[NutBucket]

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Corolla go to auto-only. Probably couldn't even find an MT one on a dealer lot these days.

 

[Howard]

If it is no longer economically wise to offer MT with cars, then they should not be offered with cars.

 

[gus6464]

The rest of the world drives stick. Who cares about the US.