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The Disappearing Stick Shift: Less Than 3% of Cars Sold in the U.S. Have Manual Transmissions

posted by martyb on Friday November 18 2016, @01:52AM   Printer-friendly
from the lost-art-of-double-clutching dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Visitors to the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show will see supercars, hoverboards, self-propelling luggage and all manner of new transportation options.

But they'll be hard pressed to find a clutch pedal or a stick shift. Available in nearly half of new models in the U.S. a decade ago, the manual transmission is going the way of the rumble seat, with stick availability falling to about a quarter this year.

Once standard equipment on all motor vehicles, preferred for its dependability, fuel efficiency and sporty characteristics, the four-on-the-floor is disappearing from major car manufacturers' lineups — and subsequently from the sprawling auto show's floors.

Consider, too, that electric vehicles don't even have a transmission.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday November 18 2016, @03:29AM

    by MostCynical (2589) on Friday November 18 2016, @03:29AM (#428617) Journal

    Manual transmissions, in most cars, are fun - but not in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
    Driving in most cities, these days. is not something anyone does for fun - too much traffic.

    In absence of opportunity to have fun while driving, automatics take over.

    Finding out the peak power in my Suzuki Sierra was 6,300 RPM made that car sooo much more fun to drive (not so much for passengers - it was small, it moved around alot, and it sounded like it was going to explode..)

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @06:07AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @06:07AM (#428707)

    "Most cities" doesn't even begin to cover it.
    In the 1960s, a funny guy who was still popular had a bit about having a car with a clutch in a city with lots of HILLS.
    Bill Cosby - Driving in San Fransisco [youtube.com]

    -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @03:01PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 18 2016, @03:01PM (#428851)

      I wore out that album, plus a few others of his. Very funny stuff, but I don't think I'm allowed to say that these days.