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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.

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  • (Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Friday November 18 2016, @11:08AM

    by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Friday November 18 2016, @11:08AM (#428788)

    "I have read somewhere that the best way to improve the fuel efficiency of the average driver is to put a real-time live MPG readout right in front of them."

    I set my '95 Vettes fuel monitor to that once. It just made me cry.

    In all seriousness however, I use that setting frequently, and it really does make a difference. Over the last year I have owned it I have improved my overall average about .9 mpg. I averaged 13.6 city with a short highway stretch to work originally, and it currently stands at 14.5 as I get ready to bed it for the winter.
    On road trips I averaged about 25.2 and never managed to improve that, but freeway travel is pretty consistent compared to the city and I was a pretty decent driver to begin with.
    I used it in my Freightliner as well, but, never managed to make a significant improvement as driving a truck is far different than a car. You go full throttle going uphill in a semi, and use your gears to control torque going uphill and gears and snub braking to control downhill, so it is much more difficult to improve on if you are a relatively smooth driver to begin with.

    On-topic: I am saddened by the demise of the manual transmission. I personally love them and the majority of my vehicles over the years had every thing from three-on-the-tree to 18. I know automatics have improved to the point that reliability and performance are near-equal, but I'll always have an affinity for that 1959 two toned brown Rambler coupe I learned to drive in three feet of snow in 1975.

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