Manual transmission continues to fade: Here's where it sells best and worst

[FocusMike]

Sad trend

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/10/10/manual-transmission-best-worst-places-lists/

Besides sports cars, the manual transmission take-rate on most vehicles that offer both manual and automatic options is extremely low. Manufacturers will often tell us it's around 5 percent when we ask, which is then followed by a moment of sadness. CarMax has another sad story to tell us about how many of its shoppers buy vehicles equipped with a manual — the rate currently stands at 3.7 percent over there. Keep in mind CarMax's business operation when looking at this data. The car buying and selling company relies on trade-ins and cars it buys from consumers. If nobody trades in a manual, then CarMax can't sell a manual.

We get to see the percentages broken down by city and state, too. As states go, New Mexico leads the way at 5.65 percent. Illinois is in last place at 2.04 percent.

El Paso looks to be manual transmission paradise, sitting at the top with 6.09 percent of CarMax's sales. That's egregiously low compared to where the percentages stood 23 years ago, though: CarMax has been tracking this data awhile now; 27 percent of all cars it sold in 1995 were manuals.

Other cities of note in the top 10 trying to keep the manual flame alive include Reno, Albany and Seattle. The steep hills and crowded roads of Seattle have us scratching our heads a little on that one, but there must be enough enthusiasts to ramp up the percentage.

Many of the cities on the least-popular list are right in the midst of truck country. The truck factor plus busy metropolitan areas most likely discourage people from opting for a manual transmission. Brimingham, Ala., has a take rate of only 1.98 percent, and some of the bigger cities in the southern part of the country follow right on behind.

Automatics have gotten so good these days that even enthusiasts are opting for faster-shifting dual-clutch transmissions. BMW releasing the 2019 3 Series without a stick-shift option and Audi dropping it from the A4 are the two most recent casualties for the U.S.

We've all accepted that the manual transmission is an endangered species, but statistics like these show how close it is to actual extinction. You can still do your best to help the cause, though. Here's our 2018 model-year list of every new car you can buy with a manual transmission.

 

[Business6]

It hurts to look at those numbers

 

[Ford ST]

It's just the reality of America. No one knows how to do anything anymore.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[Dpro]

no California in that . Most likely becuase there are not many Carmax dealers here lol.
But its kind obvious Americans are buying trucks SUV’s and automatics.

 

[koozy]

millennials

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Well someone is going to die early if they need to go to the hospital when no one knows how to drive a manual car and that's all that's around. That and the millennials Need someone to do the thinking for them so they can text their order to chipotle on their phone while driving to get the next Minecraft game dawg...Dam!

 

[TheSixtyFive]

It hurts to look at those numbers

Totally agree with You!

I think I was born with a manual gear inside…...when I was a baby I imitated gear shifting ( with double declutch too )...
I really like cars with manual transmission

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Totally agree with You!

I think I was born with a manual gear inside…...when I was a baby I imitated gear shifting ( with double declutch too )...
I really like cars with manual transmission

I want to see sonographic proof of this! It would make for a great T-shirt!

 

[XR650R]

It's just the reality of America. No one knows how to do anything anymore.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

Not true. They just don't know how to drive a stick. They also never dialed a rotary phone.

 

[A7xogg]

It probably doesn't help that most people with manuals keep their car alot longer than automatic drivers.

 

[Business6]

millennials

There's so much more to it than one thing but this absolutely started with Gen X, not millenials or Gen Z. The proliferation of suburbia, drastically increased times in traffic, etc etc are all considerable factors.

According to the car industry millenials aren't even buying cars in the first place (well, not new ones) so there goes that theory.

 

[Ford ST]

millennials

The oldest Millennial is 38 years old. The youngest being 24. People seem to keep referring Millennials as this endless Young Generation but we're not really young anymore that would be Generation Z.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[Ford ST]

Not true. They just don't know how to drive a stick. They also never dialed a rotary phone.

When could you ever comment on anything without being abrasive? Parents are failing to teach kids very basic life skills. That's a fact. It's sad when people don't know how to do laundry, or change a lightbulb.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[TyphoonFiST]

When could you ever comment on anything without being abrasive? Parents are failing to teach kids very basic life skills. That's a fact. It's sad when people don't know how to do laundry, or change a lightbulb.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

This is true.. I am currently filling a roll that isn't being filled by the previous so called father in the game of life skills....thinking for yourself and basic problem solving with my BAE's son. I can count on my hand how many times I've seen him actually go to a friends house other than his cousins in 4 yrs on both my hands. Its sad....kids are so reliant on technology these days they cant even tie there own shoes. Its insane how Parenting is being taken over by YouTube...minecraft and smart phones. Trying to embed the basic life skills of if you open it..close it...if you use it ..put it back where you found it.....if there is trash on the ground pick it up and throw it away. I'm VERY... VERY worried about that generation and their inability to think for themselves and what consists of a hard days work. Its a constant battle everyday.... will it be worth it...hopefully I can see it come into fruition one day. Then I will be content in my second hand parenting.

 

[Quickone]

no California in that . Most likely becuase there are not many Carmax dealers here lol.
But its kind obvious Americans are buying trucks SUV’s and automatics.

Exactly- people want SUV's and automatics these days. Gone are the days of really driving a car- feeling the car, shifting, revving the engine. It's all about big, big and bigger, wide seats, automatic, steering wheels that lift out of the way- and of course automatics. You can't even get a full size truck anymore with manual transmission.

Europe may still favor manual transmissions though.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

This is true.. I am currently filling a roll that isn't being filled by the previous so called father in the game of life skills....thinking for yourself and basic problem solving with my BAE's son. I can count on my hand how many times I've seen him actually go to a friends house other than his cousins in 4 yrs on both my hands. Its sad....kids are so reliant on technology these days they cant even tie there own shoes. Its insane how Parenting is being taken over by YouTube...minecraft and smart phones. Trying to embed the basic life skills of if you open it..close it...if you use it ..put it back where you found it.....if there is trash on the ground pick it up and throw it away. I'm VERY... VERY worried about that generation and their inability to think for themselves and what consists of a hard days work. Its a constant battle everyday.... will it be worth it...hopefully I can see it come into fruition one day. Then I will be content in my second hand parenting.

Technology is ruining kids - my wife works with special needs children and its really distressing to those in her line of work to see parents constantly hand their very young children an ipad and headphones while out at dinner, etc. then have those same parents demanding school services when their child isn't integrating and learning to socialize. It's not like iPads are *causing* autism and ADD, but it certainly isn't helping kids that are on the periphery of the spectrum (formerly known as aspergers) learn basic social skills. [detour] That might be a part of why autism appears to be getting works, not only are we getting better at diagnosing it, but those whom would've learned the skills to "get through" as simply "the weird guy" never get that foundational set of interpersonal skills.

I'm not religious (not here to discuss that), but spending weekends at church and sunday school as a kid made me very patient. If I'd had a smartphone back then I'd probably have difficulty paying attention as an adult.

On the manual transmission side of things - I first noticed it a few years ago, little kids feigning driving now acted out both hands on the wheel; I remember when I was growing up our "air driving" was always one on the wheel one on the shifter

 

[Clint Beastwood]

no California in that . Most likely becuase there are not many Carmax dealers here lol.
But its kind obvious Americans are buying trucks SUV’s and automatics.

there are! they're just in odd places lol - at least in orange county and san diego. You never really notice them but one day you're stoned and looking for some cane's chicken and some jack in the box tacos and you wind up at a damn carmax. (I've heard...)

 

[TheSixtyFive]

I want to see sonographic proof of this! It would make for a great T-shirt!

Really?.......I believe it would be a great T-shirt
Wait a minute..Just the time to put my internal in Neutral position..( Now I'm in Drive Sport )

 

[M0LTEN]

WHAT! I have to put my phone down to shift. This sucks give me back my automatic.

I drive a lot each week and see all ages and ethnicity's with a phone in one hand and steering wheel in the other.
Its not just the young ones anymore. But of course I am in south Florida.

"Keep manuals alive" sounds like a new bumper sticker.

 

[D1JL]

Its sad....kids are so reliant on technology these days they cant even tie there own shoes.

I can't tie my shoes either.
I use Velcro.


Oh, wait that's because I'm fat.



Dave