Las manual gearboxes They are in danger of extinction. As with some animal species, their disappearance will not happen today or tomorrow, but everything indicates that they will languish little by little until we do not see them again. Or, at least, we will have to opt for one of the two extremes of the market: luxury and exclusivity or the cheapest models.
A very illustrative example is that of the Mercedes C-Class. As confirmed by a representative of the brand to the publication Automobilwochethe German firm will stop selling manual variants in its C-Class starting next year.
The reason they allege from the brand is the low demand for this type of transmission, accelerated by an increase in electrification. In fact, electrification that goes beyond 48-volt hybridization is synonymous with auto switch. Let’s not say among the pure electric ones, because on the market only the Porsche Taycan uses a two relationship system.
Expensive and powerful: automatic
As a general rule, the more powerful and expensive the vehicle, the less presence manual gearboxes have. The disappearance of the automatic transmission in the Mercedes C-Class is just one more example. If we jump to a Mercedes E-Class, there is no option to choose a manual transmission. Of course, not in a Mercedes S-Class either.
In Seat we have a good example of this. The Ibiza is sold in versions of 80, 90 and 110 hp, all with manual transmission. But whoever is looking for the most powerful options, those with 150 hp, are only available with an automatic transmission. In the Seat León, only the 90 and 110 CV versions are exclusively manual. In those of 130 and 150 hp, you can choose the type of transmission, but the top-of-the-range version of 204 hp is relegated to the plug-in hybrid and, therefore, to the automatic transmission.
Something similar happens with the Seat Ateca, although here you can opt for the manual transmission in its 110, 115 and 150 CV versions. Making the jump to the 190 hp of the most powerful option is to give up the manual transmission. In case we are looking for a Seat Tarraco, we will only have the possibility of choosing a manual gearbox for the 150 hp engine. The rest, combustion or not, of 190, 200 or 245 hp, are relegated to automatic transmissions.
The trend is repeated if we look at Cupra. His Formentor is only sold in two finishes out of ten available with manual gearbox. The BMW series 1 You only have three manual shift options, one for your 116d, one for your 118d and one for your 118i. There is no manual gearbox for versions above 150 hp. A Mazda CX-5 can only be chosen with a manual transmission in versions of 150 and 165 CV. Both mechanics also have an automatic alternative and the 184 and 194 CV options are only available with this transmission.
the exclusive the cheap
As we can see, as soon as we get out of the low rangesthe trend is to limit manual transmission and, in mid-range or high-end vehicles, eliminate it or corner it in access versions.
The cheapest vehicles still maintain a wide range of products with manual transmissions. The automatic gearbox is more expensive, so the manual transmission makes them more attractive to an audience that cannot afford a large amount of money. In addition, they are cars that also often lack any type of electrification, which discourages the installation of automatic gearboxes in them.
It must be taken into account, however, that this type of small cars and pure combustion are doomed to disappear in the coming years. The Euro 7 emission regulations that are being considered make it unfeasible to market engines powered exclusively by diesel or gasoline, which will accelerate the transition to automatic transmission in these models or simply condemn them to disappearance.
Where it is very likely that the manual transmission will be maintained is in the luxury or caprice car. The Mazda MX-5, for example, is only sold with a manual transmission. A Ford Fiesta ST, which has always been a benchmark among sport utility vehicles, is also sold with this type of transmission. Also the Ford Mustang continues to offer manual changes in its combustion options, so it is not surprising that Ford is one of the few companies determined to save this type of transmission.
And, despite everything, finding manual transmissions in more powerful vehicles is also becoming a absolute rarity which is celebrated with each arrival of a new model to the market. Even, BMW already launched in 2016 his M5 exclusively with automatic transmissions.
