Transmission preferences are beginning to shift to automatic 09/28/2011
Lamborghini recently announced that it will be discontinuing the use of manual transmissions, but not all automakers are ready to forgo manual gearboxes. Porsche offers a seven-speed manual transmission in the 2012 911 and the 2014 Corvette will follow suit, according to the Auto Blog.
The next-generation Corvette will be equipped with a seven-speed manual transmission in order to increase the sports car's fuel efficiency, which will give engineers more wiggle-room in lower gear ratios to find ways to improve low end speed. Torque News reports that the two overdrive gears will allow the first five gears to deliver better performance.
In spite of manual plans for the new car, the marketing manager for the Corvette and the Camaro, John Fitzpatrick, believes that this could be the beginning of the end of the stick-shift, and it's all thanks to video games. He told Auto123.com that more than 50 percent of new Camaro ZL1s will be built with automatic transmissions. According to Fitzpatrick, the shift from manual to automatic is due, in part, to a new generation of drivers who grew up playing video games in which manual transmission is not required for excellent performance.
Another reason for the abandonment of manual transmissions is that older drivers want a more simplified driving experience with only two pedals instead of three. The news source reports that 89 percent of 2010 models were delivered with automatic transmissions, which is a 5.7 percent increase in automatic sales over the past decade.