The unintended consequence of electric vehicles: More demand for manual transmissions

What do you mean? Markup?

I bought my TRD without any markup/add-ons.

 

Seems to me no one is growing up with a manual unless their parents have one. For most it isn't even on the radar. I took driver training in HS with a 74 Nova 4 door 6cyl and 3ott at 14yrs old in LA. Only owned a few automatics to date. The wife and I have 7 vehicles and 5 are manual.

 

Could be. I had to get my uncle to teach me and I watched countless YouTube videos beforehand. I've then taught several of my friends.

Never seen 3 on the trees in person. The couple 70s cars I driven has floor mounted shifters.

 

You are dead right, but you can't tell this to somebody who doesn't know how to drive one. They don't want to hear it.

Back at the OP, GM and other domestic car makers pushed us out of manuals by only offering them with shitty packages. I had 3 S10's in a row with manuals then by 1998 if you wanted a manual you couldn't get air conditioning. WTF? Then they stood back and said "see, nobody wants a manual anymore."

Didn't matter, by then GM's quality was already dropping like a rock so no matter what you bought it was a piece of shit.




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I still kick myself sometimes for not opting for the manual on the Tacoma. Ironically, the 4 new 5.0 mustang gt's on the lot I was looking at last week were all auto. Rather disappointing.

 

Where the Tacoma really missed it for the manual was not having the 2nd stick for the T-case and All-Wheel drive like the FJ. That would be something.

 

No manual option on the 4Runner has no impact on sales.

I think people, once they get their EV fix find that driving a conventional ice vehicle is more enjoyable.

I think most automotive enthusiast gravitate towards EV because it's new technology, they are fast, and the excitement that goes with it.

Most EV drivers also own and drive conventional vehicles.

EV obsolescence is real. The industry knows this, that's why manufacturers are pushing EV trucks that are impractical.

 

Nobody in my family had a manual when I took Driver's Education; my first car was an automatic, a Chevy with the uninspired "2-Speed Slip and Slide Powerglide" transmission. My brain told me there had to be a better way; I got rid of the Chevy and bought an old Plymouth with a 225 Slant-Six and a "Three on the Tree", and haven't looked back since.

 

The 2Lo mod could not have been easy to make and figure out.

It's not really that easy to install either.

But it isn't a big deal to engage and helps make the manual usable.

We shouldn't need to do it.

Our manuals, as they're made from the factory, are quite terrible IMO. But a shit MT is more enjoyable than a shit AT, and I like Tacomas (believe it or not, lol)

 

My two previous vehicles before my Taco were an 03 v8 T4R and a 99 v6 MT T4R. If I could have gotten a manual 21 T4R, it would have been a real difficult decision for me whether I got the Taco or not. You can say 1 person doesn’t affect sales and you’re absolutely correct, but they could be driving potential T4R owners to Tacomas with the lack of the MT. Sure it’s still a sale for Toyota, but it’s also a lower price point vehicle. ‍♂️

As for the rest of your points, you’re discussing two different audiences as though they’re the same. We (on these auto forums) are the minority. Most people don’t enjoy driving, they tolerate it, or enjoy aspects of it, but mostly care if they are able to get from point A to point B. Modern vehicles appeal to this by offering aides that make it so vehicles require fewer inputs, like lane correction and changing, and self-driving. Not to sound grim but they’re not going away - we are.

 

Tacoma is a cheaper vehicle to produce. Now it's exclusively made in Mexico, and Tacoma has never been built and shipped from Japan. Higher margin for Toyota.

Non enthusiasts often don't care what they drive. People who don't care what they drive are not flocking to EV. Not when conventional vehicles are cheaper to buy.


I don't disagree with anything you just said.

 

Edit I have never heard anyone say they wanted lane assist as a feature. No matter the demographic.

 

My Tacoma is a daily driver and sits in stop-and-go traffic a couple days a week. I was still willing to deal with it and support manual production by buying one, but lack of availability ultimately made the decision for me and I ended up with an automatic.
My "fun" cars are both manuals so I still get the satisfaction of analog driving. I dread a future where my only options for a new car are electric with no controls.
One more note... The Porsche PDK is absolutely brilliant. Not only is it faster accelerating but it runs faster lap times too, even with professional drivers. It's truly incredible technology. But I'd still buy a stick.

 

I put a deposit on an allocation of the very vehicle you got: TRD Pro 6MT in Solar Octane. Due to be built 11/22. Can’t wait.

 

man I would love a manual transfer case. Twin stick xfer would be even better

 

It is odd considering you can get a manual shift t-case in the 4Runner. That or if they would stick a 6MT into the 4Runner. I would buy one today if they did.

 

I am in the exact same spot. Purchased my 22 mt Sport in january and even with my wife driving it to work 3 miles away 4 days a week it is still under 3000 miles. My 2014 Challenger only had 23,000 miles on it when I sold it 2 years ago. My 2018 RAV 4 only had 15,000 on it when I traded it in on our Taco. Hell my Can Am Ryker was purchased in 2018 and it only has 800 miles on it. Lol I don't even know why I am keeping it.

 

Probably help with the gas mileage a little too huh?

 

Dumb question: is there an advantage in durability / longevity to manual transmissions? Assuming I buy and hold, would MT or auto be a better bet?

 

There's a human error element to manual transmissions as well as the clutch that doesn't exist or is at the very least minimized with ATs. You can row through the gears and cause damage to the transmission that way, or potentially even the motor if you downshift from 5th to 1st going 50 mph.

MTs have clutches which wear and have to be replaced over time. The frequency depends heavily on the driver - if you ride the clutch, rev really high and slowly let out to get going, and brake with the clutch instead of rev matching while downshifting, the clutch life decreases exponentially. If you are experienced and conscious about how you drive, it may last over 100k miles.

That said, torque converters and clutch packs can fail in ATs, they just aren't as impacted by the human element. They are, however, very expensive comparatively to rebuild/replace.