The Manual Gearbox Faces Another Serious Death Threat

The manual transmission has been on the decline in North America for several years but remains thepreferred choiceamongst driving enthusiasts for cars like theBMW M3andMazda MX-5 Miata. These brands and others have stated they'll continue offering manuals as long as there's sufficient demand, but there's another reason why themanual could be dropped entirelyin the coming few years. Safety technology such as advanced driver-assist systems like adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking could ultimately hurt manual sales.

A report from Automotive News Canada says the manual's North American market share is only 1.2 percent and safety systems simply work better with automatics.

It's not impossible to adapt these systems to manuals, but it can't be done for free. And therein lies the problem; is it worth doing this considering the already low manual take rate?

Mazda has done it with the Smart City Brake Support system. Its radar cruise control is also compatible with manuals and the driver still needs to shift gears if vehicle speed goes above or below the engine's rev range. Toyota has done something similar with its in-house-developed safety system-manual relationship. Subaru is currently committed to offering customers a manual option in certain models, such as the BRZ and WRX STI, but future safety regulations will force the brand to choose between investing more in manuals or dropping them. Even adding manuals to hybrid drivetrains requires additional investments, specifically an electronic clutch.