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Your security device won't work in South America were 95% of all cars have manual transmissions and I think the same ratio applies to Europe.
by gbaygon 8y ago
Your security device won't work in South America were 95% of all cars have manual transmissions and I think the same ratio applies to Europe.
- Abishek_Muthian 8y agoYou can safely include large part of Asia as well, in India automatic is still a luxury though semi-automatic models are cropping up in few entry level vehicles.
- vinay427 8y agoI'm not sure about the 95% statistic in Europe but it certainly won't last much longer now that over a third of cars sold in the UK are automatic and this number is only increasing. There's no practical benefit of a manual transmission anymore besides a small cost difference (and possibly slightly more reliability), and electrification will only hasten this change.
- gbaygon 8y agoYou may be right about the numbers in Europe but it certainly is the case in Italy where automatic cars are nowhere to be seen (except some luxury sedans). I’ll argue this is because is way more fun to drive a manual transmission.
- arethuza 8y agoAren't most Italian exotics DSGs these days?
- gbaygon 8y agoI wasn’t talking about high end italian cars, I was talking about cars most people use in Italy. Last time I was there I forgot my driving license and was traveling with a friend from the US, we had to rent an automatic Volvo S60 for twice the price of a manual VW or fiat (automatic is rare and in premium cars)
- arethuza 8y agoActually, a lot of cheaper VW group cars now come with the option of DSGs (just ordered a Skoda with a DSG).
- vinay427 8y agoThat's an insane price difference. In Switzerland I rented an automatic (for a family member not comfortable with a manual) for only about 10% more, and they had multiple decent options. I suspect automatics may be more common here, though, particularly in the future as electric cars are gaining popularity.
- leetcrew 8y agomanuals are still inherently more efficient than fluid couplings, and they are going to weigh 60-150 lbs less than a traditional automatic or dual clutch transmission. also the "small cost difference" is $1000 or more on all the new cars I've looked at recently.
- rootusrootus 8y agoThey may be inherently more efficient, all else being equal, but ... all else is not equal. Automatics now get better fuel efficiency than manuals, so expect the trend of automatics taking over to continue.
- arethuza 8y agoIsn't that because of the new generation of CVT and DSG automatics?
- rootusrootus 8y agoI don't think so. At this point, honestly, the modern slushbox outperforms CVTs and DSGs as well (though perhaps not the Porsche Tiptronic, which might still be faster). Modern automatics shift extremely fast, routinely have 8 or more gears, and have lockup torque converters that don't just lockup in overdrive on the freeway, but basically as soon as you're going more than a few mph. As a die-hard manual enthusiast I persist in buying manuals for myself, but for the last 5-10 years I have had to grudgingly admit that I have no claim to performance or efficiency, I only do it because I like to drive manuals. If I cared about speed or MPG, I'd get an automatic.
- leetcrew 8y agoi would like to see a source on this. i often see DCT or CVT versions of a car that are more efficient, but afaik, traditional fluid coupling automatics still have a hard time beating a manual transmission in the same car.
- NikolaeVarius 8y ago
- azahk 8y agoI live in Europe and I don't think I've seen an automatic transmission in my entire life.
- barrkel 8y agoLook in the window of any luxury sedan, Mercedes, BMW 7 series or similar, and you'll almost certainly see an automatic gearshift.