The End Of Stick Shift?
I never learned to drive stick shift. When I turned 16 my brother tried to teach me in an empty parking lot. The first (and only!) lesson lasted about 20 minutes. I killed the car 100 times and we both got frustrated and stopped. My parents wanted me to learn in case of an emergency that thankfully never came. I doubt I’ll ever learn. Now I don’t even own a car, rarely drive, and soon manual transmission may no longer even be an option.
According to Engadget, the end is near for 3 main reasons.
- Growing Popularity of SUVs – Most SUVs automatic transmission.
- Electric Vehicles - Gear boxes are unnecessary because they can access their torque at any time.
- The Reality of Gridlock – Who wants to do use manual transmission in stop and go traffic?
The LA times recently reported that fewer than 3% of current U.S car sales are manual vehicles. This is down from 7% in 2012 and 25% in 1992. This number is 80% in some Asian and European countries.
Some car makers, including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and some everyday sedans, don’t even make new vehicles with manual transmissions.
The appeal of manual transmission is control. The experience of stick is why so many people enjoy driving. Being able to make controlled turns or moving forward from a complete stop without stalling. This is an experience I may never have.
Stick will die out if people don’t want it. Perhaps today more people see driving as just a tool to travel from point A to point B, and not as this experience. Maybe I’ll try to learn stick shift while there is still time. I’m a lot less hot-headed than I was when I was 16. I’d like to think anyway.
