Mercedes killed the manual transmission in cars

Although a feature that was loved by many in the past, the manual transmission (manual transmission) is on the verge of extinction. In recent times, many car manufacturers have tried to bring back the manual transmission. Toyota recently announced that the Supra will be offered with a manual transmission, and Nissan is offering the same feature to buyers of the Nissan Z model.

In general, however, manual transmissions won’t be around for long in the car world. The era of electrification is rapidly approaching, and with growing demand for self-shifting vehicles, more and more manufacturers are choosing to eliminate manual gearshifts altogether.

The latest big man to join the trend is Mercedes-Benz, Automobilwoche reports. The German automaker told the publication that there is no room for a manual transmission in the future of the brand.

This is expected to happen in 2023, said a company spokesman, who noted that the shift to full automatic transmission was driven by strong demand for electrified products. “With the increase in car electrification, we see customer demand shifting to batteries and electric powertrains.”

Mercedes in the United States has practically eliminated the manual transmission since 2015. However, in Germany, the base CLA-Class range still has a manual transmission. In 2020, the luxury carmaker also said it would “completely phase out the manual transmission”.

Until now, Mercedes-Benz has never completely mastered the production technology and application of manual transmission. It’s certainly not the worst feature on the company’s vehicles, but stretching back to models like the W123 and W124, owners often describe their transmissions as difficult to use and control. Moreover, the car company from Germany also aims at a luxurious and convenient user experience for passengers, so having to adjust the gears manually doesn’t seem appropriate.

What the death of the manual transmission means is that the auto industry is changing rapidly. However, there is still hope for enthusiasts of this feature in the future, as patents show that Toyota is working on a manual transmission for electric vehicles.