Manual transmission has gone by the way side with most car manufacturers like BMW was even thinking of not offering it on some of their models. But reconsider because the US market is where they find it in demand not Europe. Use to be the cars on the lots were mostly manual and you had to order an automatic. I remember when some car companies offer a radio, carpeting and A/C as an option this was the early 80s.

 

yah, this is very true. i can see a dad driving a nice car himself, but sort of intereted in these brz/frs cars and bought one for their kids to use... so he too can play with it from time to time. then these stats are all screwed up.

huh, is that right.. hummm... that sounds odd to me cause i thought MT cars were more popular in europe than in the US. times have changed..

 

The declining sales of BMW M5s with a manual transmission has lead the Bavarian brand to discontinue the option. Albert Biermann, the M division's head of engineering confirmed the news to Inside Line and added that both the M5 and M6 will be offered exclusively with double-clutch transmissions. The costs in producing the stick option are much less than the automatic, but it accounted for just 15-20 percent of the M5's US sales in 2012.
"The trouble is that nobody wants it in Europe or anywhere else, so this will be the last time we do it, even for the hard-core U.S. Buyers," commented Biermann. "We just can't justify it anymore. It's a no-cost option, but it's been very difficult to do.

Biermann did however offer a little solace for M customers wanting the manual option. He confirmed the smaller BMW M3 will continue offering the stick option.

BMW wanted to eliminate the six-speed manual in the M5 and M6 but caved to U.S. fans who like to do the shifting themselves.

 

yah, but that's only a M-series example. from the other read, a lot of the hatches, coupes, sedans younger enthusiast folks drive are still manuals...?

i could be wrong. im just reading so, haven't been there in person to see it.

 

I guess it is the high end German cars only see Audi below.


Americans have a growing crush on manual transmissions.To be sure, the percentage of new vehicles with stick-shift gearboxes remains a small slice of the new vehicle market, because most of today's models don't even offer manuals.
But the first quarter this year manuals were in 6.5% of new vehicles sold, and that's getting close to double each of the past five years. It's also highest since 7.2% in 2006, according to Edmunds.com.
That high "take rate," as the industry calls it, is even more impressive because just 19% of the 2,360 different models on sale offer manuals, Edmunds.com

CAPTION



reports. Five years ago, 29% of the 2,391 available styles did — yet only 2.9% were sold with stick shifts that year, the lowest "take rate" in a decade.Manuals no longer are the safe-bet mileage champs. They often do much worse, in fact, than today's computer-controlled, mileage-tuned automatics. Instead, the lures of a car with a clutch pedal are:

• Price. Manuals typically are at least $1,000 less than similar models with automatics. Manuals are most readily available in the increasingly popular small, lower-price cars whose buyers often are especially price-sensitive.

• Performance. Many people consider manuals more fun to drive than automatics. And even those who don't often see them as a way to wring the most pep possible from the small-engine, low-power cars that are getting more attention because they use less fuel and cost less to buy. "In these compact cars, it's easier to get the most power from the manual," says Ivan Drury, analyst at Edmunds.com.

• Habit. People who've been driving sticks are back in the market and buying them again. The average age of a trade-in is a record 6.1 years, Edmunds.com data show. That coincides with the last time — 2006 — that manuals had a robust "take rate."

• User-friendliness. Modern manual-shift gearboxes have much easier-to-use clutch pedals than ever. Today's clutches take less effort to push and release. And they engage smoother, making it less likely a driver will kill the engine in traffic or subject passengers to jerks and stumbles on every shift.

The jump in interest surprised automakers:
At Ford Motor, for instance, demand for manuals in the redesigned Focus compact is running close to 10%. "We were planning around 4%, 4.5%," says Paul Russell, Focus marketing manager.
In March, Ford even began offering a stick in the high-end Titanium versions of Focus, after having forecast that those higher-income Titanium buyers wanted only automatics.
Dodge has had a chance to see the change coming before launching its 2013 Dart compact, and Dodge marketing manager Richard Cox predicts as many as 20% of new Dart compact sedans will be sold with manuals — split between those who are price-conscious and those who believe a manual is the best way to enjoy the European underpinnings of the Dart. It's based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
And here's one you wouldn't expect:
Ford says that one of every four Focus buyers comes from a household with $100,000-plus annual income. The automaker notes that those are people most likely to have traveled overseas, where manuals are much more common, thus to have rented stick-shift cars and liked them enough to want the same in their driveways.
Edmunds.com calculated the "take rate" of manuals for Drive On. The 2012 calculation is for the first quarter of the year. The others are full-year:

• 2012 - 6.5%
• 2011 - 3.8%
• 2010 - 3.9%
• 2009 - 4.4%
• 2008 - 3.7%
• 2007 - 2.9%
• 2006 - 7.2%
• 2005 - 6.7%
• 2004 - 5.5%
• 2004 - 5.5%
• 2003 - 8.2%
• 2002 - 8.5%

Anyway, back to the manual transmission. It’s still a major factor in the rest of the world, and in Great Britain you need a special stick-shift license if you want to drive one. Here’s one good reason to take stick lessons, via Norm Walsh: “You can rent cars with automatic transmissions in Europe but they’re much more expensive and car rental companies aren't known for their stellar performance in delivering what was reserved.”

But even in Europe, the more sophisticated six-, seven- and even eight-speed automatics are making inroads. Last year, Audi canceled the manual option for European buyers of the S4 and S5, though oddly continuing to make it available in the U.S. That seems kind of odd when, as Edmunds.com recently reported, only seven percent of new cars this year have sticks, which actually represents a modest uptick from 2011 (when the sad number was 3.8 percent). You have to go back to 2003 to get a manual “take” rate above eight percent.

 

2012 - 6.5%
2011 - 3.8%
2010 - 3.9%
2009 - 4.4%
2008 - 3.7%
2007 - 2.9%
2006 - 7.2%
2005 - 6.7%
2004 - 5.5%
2004 - 5.5%
2003 - 8.2%
2002 - 8.5%

very intereting data. :)

i think cvt is better than 8sp AT's, no?

 

Not sure on the CVT but I wonder if you have a manual transmission in your car if that will help keep the value up. Since manufacturers were only releasing around 4% in production the number available on the market will decrease over time. Funny the Ford Focus ST is manual only.

 

CVTs have had a spotty record in Hondas. Lots of problems with them.

 

that might be in the future. my 3 cars are MT's. i am really looking forward to the day when the 3rd and 4th hand owners that have the same car as me trades them in/sells them so they are used for parts/junk yard... then i'd have more exclusivity for owning my near-new looking 04. :)

i see... i was thinking since it's infinite gear ratio that it would be more efficient than a 8sp auto. but if they're breaking down.... lol not good.

 

They have gotten better after about the 5 change in the formula of the special for CVT only fluid that is a must use in them. But start clutches are still causing problems much more than a regular auto like the USA has.

 

10 more days.. :D

 

The other concept made reference to in the article.

 

yah, its good nissan is trying new things.


i just hope that this silvia-class 4seater coupe is as good as wat the fat guy claims it is.

 

will this be in the LA auto show?

 

couple more days. :)

 

Here it is, a new 510:

http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/2013...510-is-reborn/

 

Thanks is different



I think AMC did the jean thing in the 70s.

 

thanks for the pics. i cant access that link.. might be overwelmed with readers.
is that a 4seater or 2? im looking for a 4seater coupe...


so this is nissan's answer to the youth crowd? really?

 

NEWS: Nissan’s IDx Freeflow is the Datsun 510 reborn | Japanese Nostalgic Car

 

When I first saw the picture I thought it was this car.