The manual transmission has almost disappeared entirely from passenger vehicles in the United States, with practically everyone preferring automatic transmissions. Nevertheless, a small percentage of consumers still defiantly continue to demand the manual transmission for a variety of reasons. Automotive repair experts in Mesa that provide transmission service continue to perform clutch repair and replacement and other services for manual transmissions.
Relevant Statistics
The percentage of new vehicles with manual transmissions sold in this country has been steadily dropping and was down to 2 percent as of 2018, according to Edmonds.com. Only 20 percent of passenger vehicle models are even offered with this equipment, with sports cars and muscle cars making up most of those numbers. Automotive repair experts in Mesa continue to fix and replace the equipment in cars like the Honda Civic Type R, Chevy Camaros and Mazda MX-5 Miatas.
Just 25 years ago, nearly 27 percent of new car sales were manual transmission models. The drop in sales is accounted for by several aspects. One is that the stick shift version no longer brings much, if any, boost in gas mileage. That used to be a major motivating factor. Manufacturers have also improved performance in automatic transmissions over the years so that nearly all drivers now are satisfied with an automatic.
Data from 2018 published by U.S. News & World Report found that only about 18 percent of the nation’s residents even know how to operate a manual transmission. The decreasing number is making used vehicles with a stick shift harder to sell, though people looking for these cars will be happy with the discounted price. They can have service performed at a garage like Business Name, visit the link at the earliest convenience.
Contrasting Market Forces
Some analysts say that the manual transmission will soon no longer be offered in the United States, but certain market forces may keep it available in specific models. The Ford Mustang is a case in point. Fully half of buyers of the Mustang GT want a manual transmission. Ford does not even build the Mustang Shelby GT350 with an automatic transmission.
