In recent years it's been pretty common to see enthusiast publications write headlines related to manual transmissions and how woe is the world. But, is that really the case?
Hear me out.
At this point in time, the take rate for standard transmissions is at an all-time low. Last I heard the overall sales figure for sticks was along the lines of five to six percent of total vehicles sold.
With the mass roll out of dual-clutch gearboxes that were known for their super fast shifts, it seemed like the heyday of rowing your own gears was, well, over. Turns out that may not actually be the DIY transmission's swan song.
That's because, according a BMW executive, torque converter automatics are going to make a comeback. With nine and 10-speed transmissions featuring the latest technology, they're better than ever. And, they shift just as fast. Considering how expensive DCTs are to service and that standard gearboxes can only withstand so much power, it seems pretty much inevitable at this point.
But given the dire state that five and six-speed standards are in, is ANYONE actually going to miss them?
It seems like manual transmission lovers are in a dwindling minority, clinging onto a last hope from yesteryear.
The passenger-car transmission war will ultimately be won by the conventional, torque-converter automatic, according to BMW's M division.
And M's vice-president of sales and marketing, Peter Quintus, has given both the conventional manual and the double-clutch transmission just a handful of years to live...
...Having already predicted the end of manual transmissions in the next six or seven years, Quintus confirmed that he believed we would all soon be making a return to the torque converter automatic...
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