Cars equipped with manual transmission are becoming less and less

The rapid development of electric cars and autonomous driving technology, along with changing consumer tastes, is making manual transmission cars less popular than before. According to data recently released by JATO Dynamics, cars using manual transmissions are gradually losing popularity in many car markets around the world. Car consumers are switching to buying automatic cars with more integrated driving assistance features and easier to use instead of buying manual transmission cars.

Europe is a clear example of this transition. In 2000, the majority of new cars registered in European countries were equipped with manual transmissions. Specifically, manual cars accounted for 89% of cars, some countries such as Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal exceeded 95%. Norway and Switzerland were the exceptions, where about 25% of new cars were automatic.

This rate remained high for a few years until different types of automatic transmissions were introduced. In 2017, the rate of manual transmission buyers dropped to 78% of new cars and has been falling steadily since then. In 2022, it was down to 34% and in the first half of this year, it was only 32%.

According to JATO Dynamics, there are many reasons for the decline in the rate of manual transmission cars. Among them, users are more aware of the advantages and ease of operation of automatic transmission cars. The increasingly serious traffic congestion in many cities also causes many car buyers to switch to automatic transmission cars. In particular, the price gap between manual and automatic transmission is increasingly narrowing.

JATO Dynamics data also shows that in 2010, only 6% of new passenger cars sold in the US were equipped with manual transmissions. That percentage dropped to 4% in 2019, then to 2% in 2020. In the past two years, manual transmissions have been virtually non-existent in the US market, with a rate of around 1%. This year, that number is even lower, at just 0.9% in the first half of 2023.

This reality raises the question, are manual cars gradually fading away in the world car market (!?) According to JATO Dynamics, manual cars are still popular in the car markets of South Africa and Latin America. In these markets, cars equipped with manual transmissions sold annually still account for about 30%. Although the price gap between manual and automatic transmissions has decreased significantly over the past 20 years, for those with limited budgets or who value economy, manual cars are still the right choice. However, data from many car markets around the world shows a rather bleak outlook for the future of manual cars in the future.