New cars that no longer offer manual transmission

[Shadow]

Lets make a list of new cars that no longer offer a manual transmission option. Of course that means that the car in question had to have been available with a stick the year before, but for whatever reason, it is no longer offered on the latest model year.

I'll start with these two:

2014 Lexus IS (I have no idea why they killed the stick in a car that Lexus wants to compete with the BMW 3-series and the Audi A4)

2014 Porsche 911 Turbo (Really, Porsche? Really?)

[ClutchDisc]

The one that I could think of off hand:

2013 Ford Escape

[Rope-Pusher]

The new Cherokee will not be sold to the Amish in North America.
(Yeah, I know that was more than 10 years since they sold any Cherokees in North America)

On a related note:

Bring Out Your Dead: Jeep Liberty

Despite it going out of production last summer, Jeep dealers are still selling off the last Liberty SUVs sitting on lots. Jeep sold 94 copies of the Liberty last month, bringing the year-to-date total to 5988 copies. The Liberty is being replaced this fall by the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee, which was revealed at the New York auto show in March. The 2014 Cherokee shares its platform with the Dodge Dart and is powered by either a 184-hp 2.4-liter I-4 or a 271-hp 3.2-liter V-6, both mated to a nine-speed automatic. The 2014 Cherokee goes on sale in the third quarter of this year and starts at $23,990, including destination.


Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/chrysler-june ... z2Y0DVaMz8

[Rope-Pusher]

Many of the features that drivers of a certain age find familiar are dying out or already dead, Fortune Magazine said, offering a list that included: manual transmissions, keys, crank windows, antennas, handbrakes, bias-ply tires, bench seats, hardtop convertibles, 85 mph speedometers, spare tires and hinged vent windows. To read the complete articles, go to: http://money.cnn.com/gallery/autos/2013 ... index.html

[potownrob]

The 2014 Cherokee shares its platform with the Dodge Dart and is powered by either a 184-hp 2.4-liter I-4 or a 271-hp 3.2-liter V-6, both mated to a nine-speed automatic. The 2014 Cherokee goes on sale in the third quarter of this year and starts at $23,990, including destination.


Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/chrysler-june ... z2Y0DVaMz8

who would've thought the day would come...seems like overkill to me but maybe it's for the better. did they borrow it from the benz parts bin??

[watkins]

There is no Benz parts bin.

[Squint]

Toyota/Lexus doesn't appear to like manuals at all. There are very few Toyotas available anymore. I think the Yaris, Corolla, and Tacoma are the only vehicles you can still get a stick. In the Scions, the xD, the xB, the tC, and the FR-S all can have sticks, which is nice. I'm not familiar enough with the Lexus line to know on those.

[six]

There are now no more Lexuses with manuals. The only one was the IS250, and it's going away (the manual option, not the car). On a side note, the IS350 now comes with an 8-speed auto (with paddle shifters!).

[Shadow]

On a side note, the IS350 now comes with an 8-speed auto (with paddle shifters!).

Only if you choose the RWD IS350. If you want an AWD version, you're stuck with the old 6-speed automatic. It's really lame that there are always "conditions" when it comes to making choices with the Lexus IS. Just like people were forced to get the IS250 if they wanted a stick in the prior model because the IS350 was only available with an automatic. Now you can't get the new 8-speed automatic if you want AWD. It's always something....LOL

I'm really starting to like the styling on the new IS. The first time I got a look at a picture of it, I was like "meh", but now it looks really good. I prefer the front end of the base models to the F-Sport, simply because I don't like the weird cuts/angles on the lower from bumper of the F-Sport. I'm definitely not looking to buy a new car any time soon, but if I were, I could see myself in an IS350 AWD with a 6-speed manual transmission. Too bad that car doesn't exist.

[rml605]

IS350s are fast.

Pretty sure stock they can run like low 13s. They're nice cars. It's a shame no one is offering manuals anymore in these cars.

[six]

IS350s are fast.

Pretty sure stock they can run like low 13s. They're nice cars. It's a shame no one is offering manuals anymore in these cars.

Nothing can beat the IS300 of yore, since it sported the 2JZ-GE engine (yes, the Supra engine). A simple header, intake, exhaust, and turbo kit made it over 400hp easy.

[SonicHKS]

Its common knowledge that fools with too much money don't like amish transmissions , they want an expensive refined piece of technology to shift for them, like a SMG.

Manuals are actually gaining popularity, especially with economy cars and hot hatches.

Its one reason I bought my Sonic....originally the turbo model was only offered with a 6-speed manual. That and other features convinced me that GM finally got its head out of its ass and produced a car I like. This, from the same company that 10 years earlier offered cars like the Grand Prix GTP only with a 4-speed slush.

[Boston Fit]

This is only tangentially on point -

The all-new Infiniti Q50 will be auto-only upon introduction. No surprise there. What's unusual is that manual transmission might be offered later ("hopefully," Infiniti says). I'm happy to hear that, though I have to wonder why they would consider making two transmissions available in the future when only one is initially available.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/no-manu ... i-q50.html

[IMBoring25]

It's easier to tool up and produce x units of exactly the same widget than it is to split the production between multiple options. Simplifying the product mix at launch is one way to minimize the surprises in the early production and improve quality. Then the product mix can be complicated when production is running smoothly and there's less to go wrong.

[Boston Fit]

Thanks, got it.