6.7% manual transmission for 2010 cars and light trucks in the US

[MikeMike]

6.7% of the 2010 cars and light trucks sold in the US had manual transmissions.

Toyota, Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, and Daimler had lower percentages. Surprisingly, GM had a higher percentage (7.2%), even though GM historically tended to have lower than average percentages.

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm (appendix P, columns V, W, X are transmission percentages for manual, automatic, and CVT).

 

[Lotheron]

/cry

 

[PricklyPete]

I hate it...but all I can do is vote with my wallet and I can't imagine I will ever buy myself an automatic if a manual is still available. That means my money will likely go to companies that still offer manuals in their nicer cars...Subaru, VW, BMW, etc. I will be very sad if there comes a day where the M3 is sold without the option of a manual.

 

[punjabiplaya]

I find such joy in that I'm not the only one

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/10q3/save_the_manuals!-car_and_driver
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-the-Manuals/125741200803024

incidentally, the two friends that I do hang out with the most often both have manuals (civic and jetta)

 

[Throckmorton]

I thought it was lower, like 5%.

 

[Lotheron]

According to various sources, and unless they are way off, there are between 16-17 MILLION vehicles sold in the US each year. So that means 6.7% of that is 1,072,000 - 1,139,000 vehicles are sold with a third pedal. That's a lot more than I thought and a big enough market that I'm sure the manual will be around for a while, IMO. Especially since auto makers are looking for each dollar they can get in the current economy.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

As long as there are sports cars there will be manuals.
As for point A to point B transportation it doesn't suprise me that manuals are going away. To many people would rather look at their damn phones than pay attention to their driving.

 

[mb]

Plotted in excel (combined cvt with auto):

 

[punjabiplaya]

wtf happened in 79-80?

 

[Lotheron]

Plotted in excel (combined cvt with auto):

I like the current "trend" ;D

 

[mb]

wtf happened in 79-80?

Funny, I'm actually looking at that right now.

 

[PricklyPete]

wtf happened in 79-80?

Gas crisis of course.

 

[mb]

Data was incomplete in 79 and 80. The percentages do not add up to 100%. For example:
GM All 1979 10.6% manual 4.2% auto
GM All 1980 15.7% manual 25.3% auto
........
GM All 2001 4.1% manual 95.5% auto

In fact the data prior to ~1991 wasn't very accurate...

 

[Lotheron]

Gas crisis of course.

The oil crisis was in '73, way before that jump.

 

[exar333]

It's honestly more than I thought the current % was. I see CVTs eating into the econobox cars that have traditionally had manual gearboxes. True manuals will eventually be mostly sporty cars, but you can't ignore the cost (cheap) and reliablity of a good standard transmission.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Amazing when you consider the amount of trucks, econo boxes with sub $15K MSRP's and true sports cars on the road including the current crop of pony cars (including 370Z & Genesis)

Must be impossible to find a stick on a dealers lot these days.....................

I flew to Houston to buy my car with a stick - I now regret it as I'm commuting 90-miles a day but the first 3yrs were great!

 

[punjabiplaya]

Amazing when you consider the amount of trucks, econo boxes with sub $15K MSRP's and true sports cars on the road including the current crop of pony cars (including 370Z & Genesis)

Must be impossible to find a stick on a dealers lot these days.....................

I flew to Houston to buy my car with a stick - I now regret it as I'm commuting 90-miles a day but the first 3yrs were great!

yeah, depending on the model you sometimes have to special order them. Think about something like buying an Accord v6 with a 6mt. I'm pretty sure those are rare as hell on the lots.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Amazing when you consider the amount of trucks, econo boxes with sub $15K MSRP's and true sports cars on the road including the current crop of pony cars (including 370Z & Genesis)

Must be impossible to find a stick on a dealers lot these days.....................

I flew to Houston to buy my car with a stick - I now regret it as I'm commuting 90-miles a day but the first 3yrs were great!

<--- bought a genesis coupe R-spec. manual *only*

 

[Zenmervolt]

The oil crisis was in '73, way before that jump.

There was more than one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_energy_crisis

ZV

 

[Jdawg84]

F driving a manual anymore. With 5 and 6 spd auto's whats the point?

 

[punjabiplaya]

I like the Synchro rev match the best. You get the control of the stick, but don't have to heel toe. Then if you want to heel toe, you can just turn it off.

 

[Lotheron]

There was more than one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_energy_crisis

ZV

Man fuck the 70s. Shitty cars, shitty TV, shitty presidents. The only good thing to come out of the Star Wars.

 

[CVSiN]

F driving a manual anymore. With 5 and 6 spd auto's whats the point?

because my 6MT in the same car smokes the auto version and gets better gas mileage and is 8x as fun to drive specially at the track or in the hills?

G35 Coupe BTW

 

[96Firebird]

is 8x as fun to drive specially at the track or in the hills?

This is the main reason why I like driving manual. It is much more fun, compared to just pushing the gas pedal.

 

[RedRooster]

I hope the world goes to DCTs.
Manuals are completely outclassed by them, I'd imagine its the nostalgia keeping the hardcores driving them.
The second they make my bike in an automatic, I'm switching.