The car market has thrown itself into the arms of the automatic transmission. The reasons are varied but have led to a good number of brands prioritising this type of transmission over manual ones.
Whether it is purely a matter of customer preference, the increasing electrification of the models on sale or simply the practicality of being able to manage the power of increasingly extreme engines, automatic transmission has been growing in all types of cars.
A good example is the Dacia Sandero. One of the cars cheaper On the market you can find one with automatic transmission for just over 16,000 euros. For 20,000 euros or less, Kia, Suzuki, MG, Toyota or the aforementioned Dacia sell cars with automatic transmission.
If we take a look at premium brands, the absence of manual gearboxes is almost total. A quick search on Km77 reminds us that Mercedes lacks them completely, except in its vans. Audi only offers this transmission in its smaller vehicles. At most, we will find compacts because the manual transmission is only offered for the Audi A1, Q2, Q3 and A3.
But the case of BMW is particularly striking and enlightening. If we look Which cars have manual transmission? In its entire range, the Bavarians only offer it in the Z4 convertible and in the same model but in two completely different versions. One is the BMW 218i Gran Coupé, an entry-level model, with 136 hp and 36,000 euros. The second is the BMW M2, a car for purists, with 480 hp and a starting Price of over 95,000 euros.
Against the current
Automatic transmissions have been popular among millionaires for decades now and have gradually become popular. It makes sense in a market dominated by supercars, cars with hundreds of horsepower and a public eager to get the most out of their car but also to make it practical enough to show off in everyday life.
But when the automatic transmission is already the norm, the truly exclusive is the manual transmission. A good example is the case of the Porsche 911 and the reports that refer to a possible elimination of its completely manual transmission are constant. With each redesign, facelift or launch of a new generation it is a fear that hovers over the most loyal.
The 911, however, remains an “affordable” car. At least for those who can or are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of euros on a sports car. With the launches of the most expensive and exclusive vehicles in the world come new announcements of supercars fitted with manual gearboxes.
The survival of manual transmission arises as a rebellion against a market that has been moving, for some time, towards automatic transmission.
In Bloomberg They note that the trend has been spreading for some time. They use the Gordon Murray T.50 as an example, a supercar created by the designer of the explosive McLaren F1. A car of which only 100 units will be manufactured at a rate of three million dollars each and which, indeed, has a manual transmission.
The project was born as answer to a market flooded by the SUV format, which is more clumsy and heavy, or by super sports cars that are too bland. According to Murray, it is necessary to take it to the extreme to achieve driving pleasure: “the pleasure of driving has been lost because many super sports cars only come to life in the upper extreme range of their performance capabilities,” he pointed out during one of the presentations.
Lightness and manual transmission are what new customers seem to be asking for. And this is what brands like Toyota continue to provide with their GR Yaris and the Supra or BMW Z4 (the latter two are sister models). But, above all, this is what companies that create cars by and for millionaires aim to achieve.
Last year, Koenigsegg announced that it had a new transmission that pretended to be manual but, in reality, hid a white lie between its six ratios and seven clutches. And the trend has only grown in recent years. Monterrey, where the most luxurious cars and the most expensive versions in the world are presented every year, has positioned itself as a paradise for purists.
Pagani presented there the convertible version of its Utopia, a car of which only 130 units will be manufactured, which will start at over three million euros and whose 830 hp V12 engine is controlled by a manual transmission. Dario Franchitti, a former driver, explained to Bloomberg The reason for this trend to save the manual transmission can only be understood from the heart: “I am more attracted to analogue cars thanks to the driving experience they provide. I simply love it.”
Ian Scott Dorey, a hair and fashion stylist based in Los Angeles, took the same position during the Monterrey event: “There is something about step on the pedal and take off in a burst of speed,” he told the business daily. And Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini, confirmed that “there is always a small group that asks for manual transmissions,” although in his case they preferred to remain open to the largest possible number of potential customers.
Also Aston Martin, which has in some one off their own manual option, they are clear that those who prefer the manual transmission are “driving enthusiasts”. The same public to whom the Porsche GT1 from the Tuthill Porsche tuner is aimed, of which only 22 units will be manufactured and whose price has not been revealed.
The movement stands out for its rejection of the established order. Something similar to what Rimac claims is happening with its electric cars. The company dedicated to the production of supercars electric cars point out that the pressures to jump to this technology are causing a rejection among millionaires and, therefore, hindering their sales.
All of the above also plays a role in exclusivity. The manual transmission, very popular in the United States, was only reserved for the most expensive models in Europe. With its popularization, staying with a manual transmission (which requires more work and awareness of how we are driving) in a sports car is shouting to others that you like the sensations over the speed of current automatic transmissions.
And that, among billionaires, is catching on.
Photo |
At WorldOfSoftware | Mazda believes that “interest in electric cars is declining.” Its bet: rotary combustion engine