The direct answer to this question is that the market demand for manual cars is shrinking. So why do people stop buying manuals? Here are some reasons:
- Shifting could be an exhausting task in a heavy traffic
As urbanization keeps going on worldwide, more people are stuck inside a long stream of traffic during rush hour on a daily basis. The average speed is often less than 40 kph, and a stop for more than 3 minutes is nothing special. Driving a manual in this situation means frequent shifting and pressing the clutch. If this will only last for 20 minutes, it is still acceptable; however, my father’s record of driving a manual continuously is 14 hours when we were going back to the countryside (about 280 km distance). He even got cramps on his left foot! That is why most crazily crowded Asian metropolitan cars are mostly automatics (except for cargo vehicles). - Manual transmission is no longer the fastest
One advantage of the manuals over the automatics is that the manuals have no torque converter, and thus the power output would not be offset by the gearbox. Also, the driver can shift up or down “manually” and that would be faster than the automatics. The only advantage of automatics back in the old time is convenience. However, modern automatic gearboxes today have conquered those problems and are even faster than traditional manuals. Most car makers equip their top models either with automatic gearboxes or dual-clutch gearboxes which also offer auto mode and have no clutch pedal.
The ZF 8HP can be seen on top performance models of Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Maserati, and Porsche. Mercedes-Benz equips most AMG models with its own-developed 9G-Tronic. Porsche uses the dual-clutch PDK on the 911, Panamera, and 718 Boxter/Cayman. Also, dual-clutch is everywhere in the models from VAG Group, ranging from VW Golf to Lamborghini. - Engines are stronger today
Back in the old time, people preferred a manual gearbox on a cheap economical car to an automatic because the automatic would weaken the power of the already weak engine. That is, people would sacrifice convenience for considerably stronger power. Today, the engines are much stronger than before, and even a lousy automatic would not do much harm to that. So, trading relatively little power for more convenience does not sound that bad, right?
The manual gearbox and automatic gearbox are totally different in structure. Manual often has two or three shafts, while automatic has only one. Semi-manual gearboxes, which can be shifted both automatically and manually, can be either automated manual gearboxes without clutch or automatic gearboxes with manual mode. Although categorized under the same name, they are inherently different and still have the features of manual and automatic respectively. Other types of transmission, such as CVT and DCT, are different in structure from the two mentioned, but most of them can also be shifted both manually and automatically. Apparently, automation is now almost a must for transmissions.
This does not mean that pure manual gearboxes have no value anymore. It is still a basic training of driving, and by learning so one would drive better even with an automatic. Race drivers have to learn the manual before driving the modern sequential manual. Also, most commercial vehicles are still manual, although more of them are coming in automatic recently. We still need a manual, but it is not that necessary anymore. The manual to cars is just like the Kobe Bryant fadeaway to basketball. It is always good to learn that, but you don’t have to master it for a casual street ball game.
