While it may seem shocking to newer drivers, there once was a time when manual transmissions were the standard in the mass-manufactured auto market. It wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that technology advanced enough to make automatic transmissions a viable standard regardless of vehicle type and configuration. Yet once that shift started, it snowballed into an unstoppable juggernaut, resulting in an incredibly small number of cars on the mass market being manual transmissions. Some sources estimate as low as 2.5%, but all put the figure at 5% or less, showing just how uncommon the ex-industry standard is today.
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