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Why are automatic transmissions not popular in Europe?

M

miri

Diamond Member
Seems like everyone drives standard transmission cars there, even old people and women. When I was there it was extremely rare to see a automatic transmission at all, I think the only one I saw was in a bus. I prefer automatic transmissions because they are so easy, but most of my cars have been manuals because they are cheaper. In Europe though, even the luxury cars had manuals, so not sure why they prefer them. I did like how the lights flashed before they turned green so you would have your car ready to go in 1st gear instead of having it in neutral.
 
Manuals are physically smaller and lighter than automatics, and lend themselves to being more fuel efficient. In Europe, fuel is heavily taxed (in the UK, $4.50 of a $6 gallon of gas is just taxes), so fuel economy is more important.
 
Originally posted by: miri
Seems like everyone drives standard transmission cars there, even old people and women. When I was there it was extremely rare to see a automatic transmission at all, I think the only one I saw was in a bus. I prefer automatic transmissions because they are so easy, but most of my cars have been manuals because they are cheaper. In Europe though, even the luxury cars had manuals, so not sure why they prefer them. I did like how the lights flashed before they turned green so you would have your car ready to go in 1st gear instead of having it in neutral.
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I saw this in Asia and South America as well.

It's so that we can continue to talk on the cell phone, put on make up, read, drink coffee, eat, etc while we drive.
 
Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Manuals are physically smaller and lighter than automatics, and lend themselves to being more fuel efficient. In Europe, fuel is heavily taxed (in the UK, $4.50 of a $6 gallon of gas is just taxes), so fuel economy is more important.
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true, but the average commute in Europe is much shorter. I can walk the entire length of a city with 1 million people in like 2 hours. I could easily see most people with a 2-5 mile commute to work.
 
I'm no car expert, but I would guess a couple of reaons...

-Manuals are smaller, fit better in small Euro cars
-Manuals are more cost-efficient to manufacture
 
Like people said above, fuel economy, plus when a lot of the cars in Europe have very small engines putting out 100hp or so you really need to have a manual transmission to get any sort of getup and go out of the car.
 
More compact, more efficient, better engine control, less costly to repair, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc.
 
It's just a different philosophy. The cars in the US was made to be as easy to use as possible. "Why would anyone want or have to shift manually?. Let's make it automatic."

 
I think there's several components to this, like the slightly better fuel economy of standard transmissions and the fact that many small engine cars (that are more popular in europe) perform like dogs with an auto...but I believe the main reason is this:

It costs so damn much to drive a car anywhere in europe, and there's so many public transportation alternatives available...that people that ENJOY the act of driving probably make up a much larger segment of the driving population then here. And anyone that drives just for the sake of it, usually wants to do it with a standard transmission. For all the talk of america's love for cars, most of those on the road are vehicles of necessity not of love. You need a damn car to get to your job here, and if you hate driving it might as well be an easy one to drive.
 
Another factor to take into account:
In europe space itself is tighter. A smaller transmission can fit in a smaller engine bay, which either leaves more room for passengers or it makes a smaller, easier to maneuver car.
 
Originally posted by: MixMasterTang
Like people said above, fuel economy, plus when a lot of the cars in Europe have very small engines putting out 100hp or so you really need to have a manual transmission to get any sort of getup and go out of the car.
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But everyone in Asia and South America drives manual, and I believe they're popular in Australia too, despite their large, high-horsepower cars.
 
I think I'm going to go with FrustratedUser on this one. Besides all of the other "benefits" of manual trans cars I believe that the people and manufacturers are just predisposed to driving and making manual transmission cars over automatics.
 
No it's because cars are way more expensive over there. As a result the added cost of getting the automatic transmission figures out to a lot more money. Watching Top Gear, they usually give you the price of the cars they test drive on the show. They had an economy car test and I think the friggin Fiat Panda goes for like 11,000 Pounds. In US dollars that's like 20 g's. People just can't afford to get the automatic option. Just to give you an idea, the Fiat Panda would be comparable to a Kia Rio or a Hyundai Accent.
 
Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Because far too many Americans are shiftless. 😉

...Galvanized
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That's so true!

I've owned 6 vehicles so far and only 2 of them have been automatics. I prefer a manual transmission.

My fiance on the other hand refuses to buy any vehicle with a manual transmission and refuses to learn how to shift. Talk about shiftless......
 
Originally posted by: AMCRambler
No it's because cars are way more expensive over there. As a result the added cost of getting the automatic transmission figures out to a lot more money. Watching Top Gear, they usually give you the price of the cars they test drive on the show. They had an economy car test and I think the friggin Fiat Panda goes for like 11,000 Pounds. In US dollars that's like 20 g's. People just can't afford to get the automatic option. Just to give you an idea, the Fiat Panda would be comparable to a Kia Rio or a Hyundai Accent.
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fiat panda died along time ago bud

but yeah you can pay up to and over £20K for a car such as a loaded BMW130i (its smaller than a focus!)

BMW mini, Honda Civic type R, renault clio sport etc loadsa hot hatches sell for around the £15k mark

but despite some of these cars having nearly 200Bhp you still wouldnt want a auto...since these are cars to enjoy driving in, you cant get maximum enjoyment if your not changing gears as well as steering etc.

80% of what we pay in petrol goes straight into tony's back pocket
then theres 17.5% VAT to pay on everything
and since we no longer have much of a car industry, cars like hondas and nissans, american cars etc have some sort of import tax in the price (less they are built here in england, ie Nissan have a plant in sunderland)

i dunno why we prefere manuals to autos, i dunno it just seems normal and right to get into a car with a manual. if it had an auto id be well lost.

manuals are more fun to drive, it alows you to be abit more dextrous behind the wheel....and its definately a good feeling when you hook a corner up on a country road and you nail it perfectly in the right gear and everything.

 
Originally posted by: tommywishbone
Because they are illegal. A guy named Pete has the patent and he won't sell it to Europe. True story.
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my dads renault espace had a autobox....wasnt any good at towing though, after a few months of towing an extra 1000kg, it started having problems engaging drive. seemingly getting stuck in nuetral and then suddenly biting, jerking you forward
 
Originally posted by: Chadder007
DSG / SMG = FTW!!!
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Doesn't address the cost issue.

That said, notice how all the other countries get all the awesome cars we in America can only dream about. The only reason I'd want to living in Japan is the amazing variety of cars and aftermarket parts. The JDM Accessory Catalog for my Subaru is as thick as a magazine....here its a flyer with a few pages.

Face it, America IS NOT the leader in car culture and as such so 80% of the people look at cars as A-B 99% of the time.
 
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