MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS DOUBLE MARKET SHARE - Autoline Daily
And finally, here’s a news item that should make enthusiasts jump for joy. Manual transmissions are making a comeback in the U.S. Well, a bit of a comeback. JD Power reports that sales of vehicles with a stick shift account for 1.7% of the market this year. That’s up from 1.2% last year and 0.9% in 2021. So sticks have almost doubled their market share in just the last two years. CarMax says manual transmission sales at its dealerships hit 2.9% last year, up from 2.4% in 2020. There isn’t any one factor responsible for the increase, but it’s not because buyers are trying to save money. Manuals are no longer cheaper than automatics, and they usually don’t get better fuel economy, either. CarMax says 20-something buyers are driving the increase but older consumers are also buying manuals for nostalgia. The best-selling vehicles with a manual are the Honda Civic, Ford Mustang, Subaru WRX, Jeep Wrangler and Chevy Camaro.
Here’s an option for car buyers worried about soaring new car prices in the U.S. The 2024 Nissan Versa has a starting price of $17,225 including destination charges, which makes it the lowest priced new vehicle in the U.S. That’s with a 5-speed manual transmission. The starting price jumps to just under $19,000 with a CVT. Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning and rear automatic braking. With new cars becoming more and more expensive, so it’s nice to see there actually is an affordable car in the market.
He doesn't seem to understand what he's reporting on. He says it's not an old-school granny gear but that's exactly what it is. It doesn't matter if it's labeled 1, L, or C. It's been a fixture in 3/4-ton and up trucks for decades. It's not a feature commonly included on vehicles without towing, hauling, or off-roading aspirations but one you'll find on-road applications for if you have it available, including creeping along in a line of vehicles approaching a stop sign.
IMBoring25 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 27, 2023 9:01 pm
He doesn't seem to understand what he's reporting on. He says it's not an old-school granny gear but that's exactly what it is. It doesn't matter if it's labeled 1, L, or C. It's been a fixture in 3/4-ton and up trucks for decades. It's not a feature commonly included on vehicles without towing, hauling, or off-roading aspirations but one you'll find on-road applications for if you have it available, including creeping along in a line of vehicles approaching a stop sign.
I drove an F350 dump truck for a city a couple summers during college and it had the manual with a creeper first gear. It was very simple in regular traffic you just don't use first. It was easily capable of launching on the street in second gear. I do like the idea of creeper being off to the side on a daily driver since I like my street first gear to be up and on the left, else it is like the old school 3-speed stick where the 1-2 shift was awkwardly not straight back but up and to the right.
Stick shiftin since '77
theholycow wrote:Why in the world would you even want to be as smooth as an automatic? Might as well just drive an automatic...
Much as it was common for race cars to use dogleg firsts when it was believed shifts between second and third would be more frequent and more critical than shifts between first and second, it probably makes sense to have towing/hauling transmissions place the dogleg 1-2 on the unladen shift pattern, even if the vehicle is unladen most of the time. The shift out of granny happens at a very slow speed so you want it to be quick and sure.
The only real penalty I see for an off-road-oriented dogleg granny would be a steep technical rock climb where it becomes necessary to start from a stop on a hill and then build more speed than granny is capable of, perhaps to pop over an obstacle.
ClutchFork wrote: ↑Thu Dec 28, 2023 1:54 pm
I drove an F350 dump truck for a city a couple summers during college and it had the manual with a creeper first gear. It was very simple in regular traffic you just don't use first. It was easily capable of launching on the street in second gear.
Aside from in the shop or for parking lot maneuvers, the same is true with Cummins Rams. I never used 1st for road test street driving
CADILLAC REVEALS NEW CT5-V & CT5-V BLACKWING - Autoline Daily
Cadillac unveiled the new CT5-V and more powerful CT5-V Blackwing. Both feature updated exterior styling, including a redesigned front grille, fascia and lighting. New features include a 33-inch diagonal touchscreen, SuperCruise with driver attention assistant and Google built-in, including Google Assistant, Maps and Play. A Performance Data Recorder is also now available which features a lap analyzer tool, speed tips, and a live data screen that displays details of your lap time. And a new Performance in-vehicle app is offered which displays power, torque and boost in real-time. Engine options are a carryover from the previous models. The CT5-V is powered by a 3.0L twin turbo V6 engine, which produces 360 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque and is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Meanwhile, the Blackwing is powered by a 6.2L supercharged V8 that cranks out 668 horses and 659 lb-ft of torque. It can be paired with a six-speed manual or the 10-speed auto and Cadillac says half of Blackwing buyers go for the manual. The CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing go into production this summer and pricing will be announced later.