The manual transmission continues to die a slow, agonizing death.
For the first time ever, the sales of electric vehicles have caught up and passed the sales of manual transmissions vehicles. It’s a growing trend for a while not, but customers simply don’t want to drive stick anymore.
According to Green Car Reports, the sale of manual transmission vehicles accounted for only 1.1 percent of all car sales in 2019. In comparison, electric vehicles made up 1.6 percent of all sales. It should be noted that these numbers are American only, not a reflection of the global auto market.
Although both segments accounted for less than two percent of total car sales, 2019 marked the first time EVs surpassed manuals. In 2018, stick shifts accounted for 1.6 percent of sales versus 1.5 percent for EVs. With fewer and fewer manual options (and more EV choices than ever), we don’t expect this number to swing back the other way any time soon. Maybe never.
Even high end performance vehicles are abandoning manual transmissions. The new C8 Corvette and Toyota Supra won’t have one. They are simply a dying breed. If you truly want to drive a manual car, you’re going to have to stick the Civic Type R, Shelby GT350, or the Velostar N. Or look for something a little older, back when manual gearboxes were a bit more common.
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