“Lever-and-clutch Renaissance”: Manual Transmission is back in trend! Manual transmission is back in trend, especially in the US. It is well-known that almost everyone in the states use “automats”, but according to one of the articles in Wall Street Journal, Americans are currently learning “to shift gears” – such fun! Over the past years, the sales of cars with a manual transmission increased by 10%. Most probably, “manual gear shifting” is a fad. Even Lexus, Infinity, and Cadillac sedans are equipped with a clutch pedal and a gear shift lever that disappeared in the 50s. According to US automobile industry statistics, half of the cars sold in the country in 1950s were equipped with a manual transmission, but by 2000 the number of those cars dropped to 9%. In 2001 “Lever-and-clutch Renaissance” has started: the sales of American cars with manual transmission grew 10%. A significant portion of these “manual models” are mostly ‘youth models’: Pontiac Vibe, Ford Focus and Honda Civic Si. For elderly buyers a manual transmission means “back to youth”, and for youngsters the lever allows to recreate the atmosphere of a video game or racing. However, the transition from automatic to manual transmission is not easy for a new generation! Driving teachers are convinced that for the development of an “old-fashioned ability” to drive manual cars the person who is used to automatic transmission needs at least three lessons. Moreover, some drivers cannot manage the novelty at all. The news tell that a famous actress from Los Angeles just bought manual Ford Explorer and even after a series of classes could not learn how to park without colliding with the surrounding vehicles.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 14:05:58 +0000
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