2020 Porsche 911Derek McNaughton / Driving Porsche is catering to the #savethemanual crowd, and were totally here for it. The 992 generation of 911 wasnt previously offered with a manual, but it is now three-pedal mafia, rejoice!To get the manual, youll have to step up to the Carrera S, Carrera S Cabriolet, Carrera 4S or the Carrera 4S Cabriolet. Base 911s without the S suffix will not feature this 7-speed manual yet.Interestingly, the manual option costs as much as the most expensive PDK automatic transmission option youd assume the manual should be cheaper, right? Well, Porsche knows that, too, and instead of charging more money for the less-sought-after transmission, its decided to pair it with the Sport Chrono Package. The Sport Chrono Package adds a mechanical limited-slip differential with torque vectoring, dynamic drivetrain mounts, Porsche Suspension Management Sport Mode, active rev-matching and a steering wheel-mounted mode selector.Of course, the manual option is slower than the PDK automatic option about half-a-second slower to 100 km/h from zero. But who cares? The point of a manual transmission is the engagement with the vehicle, not the actual speed youre not supposed to be street racing anyway!Besides being more fun, the manual option also adds lightness. Some 84 pounds were left in Stuttgart as a result of the tranny swap, dropping the weight down to 3,298 pounds, lighter than the base Carrera.Three-pedal 2020 Porsche 911s are now available to order, and arrive in dealerships starting spring of 2020. Pricing starts at US$113,300 for the Carrera S and goes up to US$133,400 for the Carrera 4S
Origin: The 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera will have a seven-speed manual transmission
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BMW boss confirms next M3, M4 will get a manual transmission
BMWs M division is sticking by manual transmissions and RWD – for now, at least.Handout / BMW BMW will give the people what they want a manual transmission in the hot versions of the next-generation 3 and 4 Series cars.In an interview with BMW Blog, BMW M head Markus Flasch explained although the next M3 and M4 will have optional all-wheel-drive, the company is still keeping driving enthusiasts in mind.Its a bit early to disclose all the details, but something I want to highlight is that we will have a manual stick shift, he said. Weve already disclosed we will have the option of four-wheel drive. Weve not decided which variant, which system, but everything thats on our current lineup think of the M5 can be made available. The M3 and M4, Ive driven the pre-production cars and theyre already fantastic. This is good news. BMW was once known for fantastic drivers cars, but these days, the general consensus is that the Bavarian brand has recently become muddied with the introduction of SUVs, not to mention building a car for almost every segment. Flasch even admits while manuals arent particularly fast, theyre still important.The manual stick shift is not a performance-bringer, because an automatic transmission is just faster, you can ask any race driver, he said. But it gives the vehicle character and I kind of compare it to people who love mechanical watches it isnt more precise and it doesnt have any advantage at all, but its a character feature. So is a stick shift.All this means if you want a manual, youll have to step up to the M3 or M4, instead of the lesser 3 or 4 Series. We dont really have a problem with that, though, because the manual transmission is more or less a device reserved for people who enjoy using it, rather than as a means to cut costs. The M3 and M4 are built for driving pleasure, and were glad BMW recognizes this doesnt always mean speed, but rather a connection to the car
Origin: BMW boss confirms next M3, M4 will get a manual transmission
Aston Martin’s mid-engined Vanquish with have a manual transmission
The 2019 Aston Martin Vanquish ConceptAston Martin Aston Martins next Vanquish will be a mid-engined supercar, and CEO Andy Palmer just confirmed it will come with a proper manual transmission.Ive already made a commitment that I want to be the last manufacturer in the world to offer manual sports cars, and I want to honour that commitment, Palmer told Australia’s Car Sales. The transmission will be a variation of Astons built-in-house seven-speed manual with its dogleg-H pattern, meaning first gear is to the left and down, instead of up. The transmission is usually sitting behind a V8, but in the mid-engine Vanquish, it will be in front of a V6 mounted behind the driver.In an age where lap times and zero-to-100 km/h sprints are all the rage, its reassuring to see Aston Martin take the road less travelled with a more engaging, albeit slower-shifting transmission option. Also going against the norm, the Vanquish will use an aluminum tub instead of carbon fibre; while that seems like stone age technology now, Palmer has a reason for it.Our mainstream cars, have been created to be usable daily, he said. Thats why they employ an aluminum tub for a lower and narrower sill; it makes them easier to get in and out of.The Vanquish Vision concept was revealed earlier this year in Geneva, previewing the upcoming car. Aston plans to put it up against the Ferrari F8 Tributo and McLaren 720S, but unlike those two, Aston wont limit production and will actually build additional variants. plan is to go up against Ferrari with its F8 Tributo and McLarens 720S, but unlike those two, Aston wont limit the production, and will actually build additional
Origin: Aston Martin’s mid-engined Vanquish with have a manual transmission
This is how many manual transmission cars Toyota actually sells
2020 Toyota Corolla SGraeme Fletcher / Driving When the Toyota Supra came out with an automatic-only transmission, every enthusiast on the planet cried Where’s the manual!? without thinking for a second about how hard it actually is to sell a car with a manual transmission these days. That’s especially true for Toyota; if you ask them, it’s next to impossible. In a dinner conversation with Toyota spokesperson Nancy Hubbell, CarBuzz got some exact numbers re: how many stickshifts the Japanese automaker actually moves off the lots in its various cars, so let’s take a look. Let’s start with the 86, which is Toyota’s sportiest car. Just 33 per cent of buyers opted for the manual transmission in the compact coupe, which means two-thirds of buyers still went for the six-speed automatic. The 86 is one of the most affordable sports cars you can buy today, and if 66 per cent of people buying one still go for the automatic, it paints a pretty bleak picture for the transmission as a whole. Toyota also offers a brand-new manual transmission on its redesigned Corolla hatchback; the six-speed unit makes for a fun little city car at a cheap price, but do you think that’s enough to get people to buy the three-pedal? Nope. The take rate for the manual Corolla hatch is just 15 percent. If you expand the sales to include the Corolla sedan, then the numbers drop to less than one per cent. Tacoma and Yaris buyers are also opting for the automatic 95 per cent of the time, which pushed Toyota to remove the manual as an option for the 2020 Yaris hatchback. So as usual, it’s not the problem of manufacturers not making manual transmission cars, it’s the consumer’s fault for not buying them in the first place. Although, we would argue that if more interesting cars were made with manuals, perhaps people would buy
Origin: This is how many manual transmission cars Toyota actually sells
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