why do manual transmission cars sell so poorly in the US compared to the rest of the world?
In: 9
I see a ton of replies talking about how people in the US don’t learn to drive manual. But that is really part of a chicken and egg thing. Are fewer manual cars sold because fewer people learn to drive manual, or do fewer people learn to drive manual because there are fewer manual cars sold?
It could be argued to be the latter in the US. Most models of vehicles sold don’t offer manual transmission versions. It is usually only in the least expensive models that manuals are available. And sportier cars will have an option for manual. And of course trucks can still come with manual.
One doesn’t need to learn how to drive manual since 87% of the vehicles sold in the US have automatic transmission. If you go to a rental car place, chances are 100% of their cars will be automatic. And with the widespread use of Uber worldwide, traveling abroad doesn’t require learning to drive a stick either, as if you travel somewhere, you don’t have to worry about getting stuck renting a manual, you can just Uber or taxi everywhere.
On a sidenote: more and more Europeans are shifting towards automatics.
Not on the small cars like a VW Golf or a small Citroen, but almost all big cars are now automatics.
15, 20 years ago most Mercedes C classes or BMW 3 series for example were all manual. Now however, most are automatics.
I had an Audi A6 in ’99 and that was a manual. Imagine a manual A6 in 2022…
Even though I know how to drive a stick, I would never buy one. It’s so much easier to drive a manual.
In my case, my parents no longer owned manual transmission vehicles, so I learned in an automatic and never learned to drive a stick.
European cars have historically been underpowered compared to American cars due to higher gas prices in Europe vs US. Until recently, automatics have been mostly limited to 3 gears due to their planetary design while manuel transmissions don’t have this limitation and typically have 5 or more gears. More gears means that the car can have both a lower 1st gear and a higher final gear so you can accelerate faster with a smaller motor and still maintain good mileage at freeway speeds.
It’s because of differences in driving style.
In America, you’re taught to have one hand on the wheel and one hand on your burger at all times.
Only legal exception is when you need both hands to pick up your soft drink.
I’ve sat in traffic for hours with the bottom of my foot aching from the clutch. Would I love a manual for zipping around town in? Sure. And I’d love it on the mountainous part of my yearLy drive to NC. But put up with it for the other 450 miles of the trip? And in bumper-to-bumper traffic? No thanks. Been there, done that.
Gonna say it here cuz nobody is explaining like you’re five:
Manual transmission cars are harder to use and multitask with because you need one hand to change the gears.
Automatics do that for you.
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Because people don’t want to deal with shifting up and down all day on their way to work or the grocery store.
Automatic cars are also standard now. You aren’t getting a manual car for a significant discount.
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