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Article is narrowly focused on the US market. “Driving a manual vehicle is a lost art.” Hardly. It may be decreasing overall but nowhere near a lost art. “Ye

Article is narrowly focused on the US market. “Driving a manual vehicle is a lost art.” Hardly. It may be decreasing overall but nowhere near a lost art. “Yet manual-equipped cars still have a loyal following, making up nearly 29% of new-car sales in 2024 across Europe's big five markets.”[1] [1] https://www.slashgear.com/2039491/why-manual-transmissions-are-still-popular-in-europe/ https://www.slashgear.com/2039491/why-manual-transmissions-a...

toomuchtodo 2mo ago
For now. The trajectory is clear; consider VW is planning on letting 100k workers go as an indicator of the future of combustion powertrains, including a manual transmission. VW memo confirms 100k job cuts, no plans for four plants - https://www.automotiveworld.com/news/vw-memo-confirms-100k-job-cuts-no-plans-for-four-plants/ https://www.automotiveworld.com/news/vw-memo-confirms-100k-j... - July 14th, 2026 Electric car sales smash records as Europe sees 'explosive' growth in EV registrations - https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/electric-car-sales-europe-growth https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/electric-car-sales-eur... - July 17th, 2026 Europe EV sales top 1 million in first half as demand accelerates - https://www.reuters.com/business/europe-ev-sales-top-1-million-first-half-demand-accelerates-2026-07-16/ https://www.reuters.com/business/europe-ev-sales-top-1-milli... - July 16th, 2026 Europe EV Sales Report: BEVs Jump 39% and Reach 24% Market Share! - https://cleantechnica.com/2026/06/24/europe-ev-sales-report-bevs-jump-39-and-reach-24-market-share/ https://cleantechnica.com/2026/06/24/europe-ev-sales-report-... - June 6th, 2026 International Energy Agency. Global EV Outlook 2025. – processed by Our World in Data. “Share of new cars sold that are electric” [dataset]. International Energy Agency. Global EV Outlook 2025., “electric_cars_iea” [original data]. Retrieved July 17, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260615-132505/grapher/electric-car-sales-share.html https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260615-132505/grapher/e... (archived on June 15, 2026). (~20-25% of annual global light vehicle sales are currently EVs or hybrids, as of this comment; the market for combustion vehicles is rapidly compressing)
- phillc73 2mo ago
  I agree the use of manual gearboxes in cars is decreasing. However, as of today, it is nowhere near a "lost art" and it won't be for a long time. There are enough manual gearbox cars in the world that, especially in developing nations, they will be around for a long time, even more so if agricultural and other industrial vehicles are considered. The article was needlessly hyperbolic and narrowly focused on a single market.

toomuchtodo 2mo ago

For now. The trajectory is clear; consider VW is planning on letting 100k workers go as an indicator of the future of combustion powertrains, including a manual transmission. VW memo confirms 100k job cuts, no plans for four plants - https://www.automotiveworld.com/news/vw-memo-confirms-100k-job-cuts-no-plans-for-four-plants/ https://www.automotiveworld.com/news/vw-memo-confirms-100k-j... - July 14th, 2026 Electric car sales smash records as Europe sees 'explosive' growth in EV registrations - https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/electric-car-sales-europe-growth https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/electric-car-sales-eur... - July 17th, 2026 Europe EV sales top 1 million in first half as demand accelerates - https://www.reuters.com/business/europe-ev-sales-top-1-million-first-half-demand-accelerates-2026-07-16/ https://www.reuters.com/business/europe-ev-sales-top-1-milli... - July 16th, 2026 Europe EV Sales Report: BEVs Jump 39% and Reach 24% Market Share! - https://cleantechnica.com/2026/06/24/europe-ev-sales-report-bevs-jump-39-and-reach-24-market-share/ https://cleantechnica.com/2026/06/24/europe-ev-sales-report-... - June 6th, 2026 International Energy Agency. Global EV Outlook 2025. – processed by Our World in Data. “Share of new cars sold that are electric” [dataset]. International Energy Agency. Global EV Outlook 2025., “electric_cars_iea” [original data]. Retrieved July 17, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260615-132505/grapher/electric-car-sales-share.html https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260615-132505/grapher/e... (archived on June 15, 2026). (~20-25% of annual global light vehicle sales are currently EVs or hybrids, as of this comment; the market for combustion vehicles is rapidly compressing)

phillc73 2mo ago
I agree the use of manual gearboxes in cars is decreasing. However, as of today, it is nowhere near a "lost art" and it won't be for a long time. There are enough manual gearbox cars in the world that, especially in developing nations, they will be around for a long time, even more so if agricultural and other industrial vehicles are considered. The article was needlessly hyperbolic and narrowly focused on a single market.