The manual transmission is on its way to becoming the automotive equivalent of the Northern White Rhino, a near extinct breed that might be gone in the near future. With many auto manufacturers barely offering manual transmissions as standard in the newest and latest models of their cars with exception to performance and limited production models the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring and the Cadillac CT4 Blackwing, the stick shift might be on course to a sad demise.

Although on its last leg, the manual transmission is holding on for dear-life and won’t go down without a fight, regardless of how much consumers rave about the convenience of automatic transmission or how many switch to electric vehicles. With many enthusiasts and motoring journalist advocating for freedom in determining ones’ gear, the stick shift is making a resurgence in mainstream motors vehicles with some help from driving enthusiast and executives in the boardroom and at the racetracks.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES SURGE PUT A RENCH IN HE POPULARITY OF THE MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS.

The last decade has been exponential for the electric vehicles and battery technology. With battery technology advancement and government pressure to reduce use of fossil fuels by 2030, many manufacturers have made electric vehicles the priority of their brands at the expense of regular internal combusting engines and by effect the decline of manual transmissions.

For every electric vehicle sold in place of ICE engine, that’s a potential manual transmission off the roads. To make matters worse, electric vehicle motors produce so much torque at low revolutions that they only need a single speed gear to high highway speeds unlike regular ICE cars that rely on multiple gears, typically five (5) or six (6) gears to hit comfortable cruising speed. The success of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, has equally converted many younger environmentally conscious consumers to purchase EV instead of ICE cars

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS

Driving a manual transmission car is like being rewarded for doing a great job. The excitement and satisfaction gained from a perfect up or down shift makes you want to replicate it. While manual transmissions don’t give you the relaxed and care free driving that automatics and CVT transmission may give, they are the ideal transmission for spirited driving.

Another factor affecting manual transmissions is the slight benefits in fuel economy that automatic transmissions provide especially in economy cars. Automatic transmissions are also the go to for big engine SUV and sedans for their ability to be tuned to run at low RPM while at crushing speeds thereby improving fuel economy.

IS THE DEATH OF THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION INEVITABLE?

The future of manual transmission unpredictable as the automotive industry is constantly changing with technology innovation to both ICE and electric vehicles. The number of manual cars in the market is set to reduce further due to the looming ban on petrol and diesel cars set for 2035 in many European markets in a desperate push for EV adaptation and climate change mitigation.

While there isn’t any actual ban on manual transmissions, the rapid increase of EVs will take a significant bite out of the already micro share of manual transmission on the market. Aside electric vehicles, consumer shift in body style preference from sedans to SUV, crossovers and pick-up tracks also impact the availability of manual vehicles as automatic transmissions are preferred for fuel efficiency and driving comfort.

At the moment, the odds are stacked against manual transmission vehicle and many more automakers will continue to drop the stick-shift in their transmission options. However, as long as manual transmission enthusiast live and the demand for the limited available sports cars persist, the manual transmission will live on.