I own a car with a manual transmission, and I love it to death, but I understand that the format is nowhere near as popular as it once was. The number of vehicles available with a row-your-own option has dwindled as a result, and many new safety technologies are only offered with an automatic. Despite offering a manual option in the Elantra N, Hyundai’s Managing Director of the Europe Technical Center recently said that “Nobody wants manual gearboxes anymore,” which could be one of the first nails in the transmission’s coffin at the Korean automaker.
Tyrone Johnson made the comment in an interview with Car Magazine, and while it sounds overly dramatic, it’s a reflection of the automaker’s manual transmission sales numbers. Just 30 percent of Elantra N buyers opt for the manual, likely making it an expensive feature to keep in the catalog. Unfortunately, Johnson’s statement is accurate, at least in part. Many people do still want a manual transmission in their vehicles, but technology, safety, and emissions standards are all pushing in the opposite direction.
Johnson isn’t saying performance cars are dead, but he was clear that they’ll be different going forward. “I don’t understand the idea that performance cars are dying. If you want to go fast, there’s nothing better than an EV. I don’t understand the nostalgia,” Johnson said, which will likely upset many of you. He noted that EVs have come a long way in the last ten years, covering as much ground as gas-burning vehicles have in the last 100 years.
[Images: peopleimages.com – yuri a/Shutterstock.com, Vitor Miranda/Shutterstock.com, sigemon/Shutterstock.com]
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