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Why car manufacturers began to abandon automatic transmissions en masse

  • March 6, 2023
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According to an analysis by experts in the field, drivers are once again increasingly preferring cars with a manual transmission. Probably, the reason is not only the shortage

According to an analysis by experts in the field, drivers are once again increasingly preferring cars with a manual transmission. Probably, the reason is not only the shortage of some components, but also the more affordable price tag of machines “at hand”. With details – the portal “AvtoVzglyad”.

JD Power experts conducted a large-scale study and found that consumers aged 18 to 46 began to look more actively at cars with “mechanics”. Whereas in the past such cars were bought to a greater extent by drivers of the older age group, we now see a similar trend among young people. Of course, customers are not without exception buying cars with a manual transmission, but there is a clear increase in demand.

If more than two years ago in the same America the number of cars with manual transmissions sold managed to reach its historical minimum, then at the end of 2021 the demand for such vehicles began to grow significantly. By the way, in the USA, where “automatic machines” and their analogues have long been favored by consumers, the share of cars with “mechanics” was only 0.9%, and already in 2022 it increased by a third. The car manufacturers themselves expect a growth of at least 2% in sales of such models. And in the next few months.

However, independent industry experts also predict a further increase in the popularity of “on hand” models. In addition, as already mentioned, they cost much cheaper, and in terms of design features, they do not need any frills in terms of components, including electronics, which are increasingly responsible for powering modern “two-pedal” units. In particular, “robots”, which, moreover, do not shine with an indicator of reliability and long service life.

Meanwhile, according to the Wall Street Journal, young motorists are looking to buy cars with “mechanics” in the transmission, not because of more loyal prices. The main reason is the banal desire to manage such machines, which was confirmed by the results of a sociological study. Apparently, therefore, a number of car manufacturers in particular have already announced that they want to focus on the production of three-pedal products. And what is most remarkable – even in the premium segment.

For example, the overseas Cadillac began to focus fundamentally on the production of cars with a manual transmission. According to last year’s results, the CT4-V and CT5-V models with manual transmission proved to be much more popular than with an “automatic”. And every fourth Acura from the Land of the Rising Sun has already been sold with “mechanics”. What can I say: Mazda completely abandoned the automatic transmission when equipping some models, including the “hot” MX-5 Miata. Chevrolet is also thinking about this in relation to its budget line cars and popular pony cars a la Camaro.

In the mass segment, almost all brands have several versions with a “handle”, mainly in the European market. As for Russia, our brother is slowly but surely moving to automatic transmission models, and in the same 2021 a record was set in the market for two-pedal car sales. And this is more than 1.02 million new cars with “automatic” and similar “robots” and CVTs. But the further growth of indicators is a big question.

At the end of last year even 1,000,000 cars could not be sold in the country, regardless of the type of transmission. Given how much the prices of car products have risen and the purchasing power of the population has fallen below the baseboard, cars are more and more a luxury for us, but not a means of transportation. A little more, and instead of horsepower under the hood, we’re left with only horses, but only alive and with the infamous manual transmission in the form of reins and a whip.

Photo: AvtoVzglyad

JD Power experts conducted a large-scale study and found that consumers aged 18 to 46 began to look more actively at cars with “mechanics”. Whereas in the past such cars were bought to a greater extent by drivers of the older age group, we now see a similar trend among young people. Of course, customers do not buy cars with a manual transmission without exception, but there is a noticeable increase in demand.

If more than two years ago in the same America the number of cars with manual transmissions sold managed to reach its historical minimum, then by the end of 2021 the demand for such vehicles began to grow significantly. By the way, in the USA, where “automatic machines” and their analogues have long been favored by consumers, the share of cars with “mechanics” was only 0.9%, and already in 2022 it increased by a third. The car manufacturers themselves expect a growth of at least 2% in sales of such models. And in the next few months.

However, independent industry experts also predict a further increase in the popularity of “on hand” models. In addition, as already mentioned, they cost much cheaper, and in terms of design features, they do not need any frills in terms of components, including electronics, which are increasingly responsible for powering modern “two-pedal” units. In particular, “robots”, which, moreover, do not shine with an indicator of reliability and long service life.

Meanwhile, according to the Wall Street Journal, young drivers are looking for cars with “mechanics” in the transmission for sale, not because of more loyal prices. The main reason is the banal desire to manage such machines, which was confirmed by the results of a sociological study. Apparently, therefore, a number of car manufacturers in particular have already announced that they want to focus on the production of three-pedal products. And what is most remarkable – even in the premium segment.

For example, the overseas Cadillac began to focus fundamentally on the production of cars with a manual transmission. According to the results of the past year, the CT4-V and CT5-V models with a manual transmission proved to be much more in demand than with an “automatic”. And every fourth Acura from the Land of the Rising Sun has already been sold with “mechanics”. What can I say: Mazda completely abandoned the automatic transmission when equipping some models, including the “hot” MX-5 Miata. Chevrolet is also thinking about this in relation to its budget line cars and popular pony cars a la Camaro.

In the mass segment, almost all brands have several versions with a “handle”, mainly in the European market. As for Russia, our brother is slowly but surely moving to automatic transmission models, and in the same 2021 a record was set in the market for two-pedal car sales. And this is more than 1.02 million new cars with “automatic” and similar “robots” and CVTs. But the further growth of indicators is a big question.

At the end of last year even 1,000,000 cars could not be sold in the country, regardless of the type of transmission. Given how much the prices of car products have risen and the purchasing power of the population has fallen below the baseboard, cars are more and more a luxury for us, but not a means of transportation. A little more, and instead of horsepower under the hood, we’re left with only horses, but only alive and with the infamous manual transmission in the form of reins and a whip.

Source: Avto Vzglyad

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