Car companies shifting away from stick shifts

Manual transmissions quickly going extinct in U.S.

The idea of driving a manual transmission vehicle is apparently going the way of the dinosaur.

According to a report recently in USA Today, Audi is dropping manual transmission (stick shift) vehicles from its lineup in the U.S., beginning with the 2019 model year, due to a decline in customer demand.

“Stick shifts represented 6.8 percent of U.S. vehicle sales in 2012, according to IHS Markit. But that figure has tumbled to an estimated 3.5 percent in 2018,” USA Today reports.

Globally, however, the 5-speed manual transmission is the most popular transmission, the report notes.

For car enthusiasts, the demise of the stick shift may come as a bit of a heartbreaker. However, given the fact that only 3.5 percent of vehicle sales involve a stick shift … maybe not.

Stick shifts do come with their own challenges. It takes two feet, both hands, and no small degree of coordination to work the clutch, the gas pedal, the brake, the steering wheel and the stick shift itself. On the upside, it makes distracted driving a challenge – there are no free hands to eat cheeseburgers or operate cell phones.

One also has to pay attention to the sound of the motor and the speed of the car to know when to shift. With time, that becomes second nature, but for new drivers, it can be a challenge.

And anyone who has ever learned how to drive stick can attest to the jolt of stalling or popping the clutch at the wrong moment, or the harsh noise of the gears as they grind when one misses the right slot.

Then one has to factor in driving up inclines (If you aren’t careful, the car rolls backward). However, in Yuma that’s not as much of an issue as it may be in other communities like, say, San Francisco. Hills here are not plentiful – although they do still exist.

Looking at these reasons, one can see how one might lean toward driving a car with an automatic transmission.

However, there are some upsides to driving stick. It is fun, and there is something empowering about controlling the vehicle down to that basic level. And, if your car is a manual transmission, it’s unlikely someone will steal it, because driving stick is a dying art form.

Is it surprising that sticks are going away? Probably not. But it’s still a bit sad. It is one more thing that technology has rendered somewhat obsolete.

What do you think, readers? Is it valuable or worthwhile to learn how to drive a stick shift anymore, or are you all about the automatic transmissions? Let us know. Share your thoughts online at www.YumaSun. com, or send us a letter to the editor at letters@yumasun.com.