why do manual transmission cars sell so poorly in the US compared to the rest of the world?

Question

why do manual transmission cars sell so poorly in the US compared to the rest of the world?

In: 9

Answer 1

Driver’s education / licensing tests don’t require learning manual transmissions, so younger drivers are much less likely to know how at all. Although perhaps 60% of American drivers know how, they are heavily weighted towards the older generations, and that number will continue to decrease over time. Someone who knows manual will still buy an automatic if necessary, but someone who only knows automatic will never buy a manual.