Outside of the US/Canada this stat is most likely the inverse.
True. I guess in germany it's at least 80% manual. Apart from the more luxury cars (Mercedes E/S-class, ...) which are typically also only built and sold with automatic transmission.
I have my eighth car right now and for it's the first one with automatic transmission. I mainly picked this because in combination with the newer assistance systems (ACC) it provides a better experience. However I now also have to admit that the VW DSG that I have feels generally very good.
And that's completely missing a point of a CVT where you can keep the engine at a its most efficient speed and vary the transmission ratio to accelerate or decelerate in response to throttle input.
Agreed, it's sad that in chasing more market share subaru is making multiple decisions based on marketing and not on engineering. Forcing a CVT from the ideal RPM to entertain drivers seems impressively silly. Kind of like the Golf R, which installed a vibrating/unbalanced motor under the winshield to make a more pleasing vibration. Or the Mustang EcoBoost, various BMWs, and other cars that are using speakers to make…
> Many the automatic folks should install a manual looking stick between the seats and whenever you move it it kills power for 0.5 seconds.
I don't know what I hate more, this suggestion or the fact that it would probably actually work.
I have a license for manual transmission as that's the default in Germany. My US license is expired now* but I only drove automatics there. I always thought it was curious that the default in the US is automatic and in most other countries I've been to it is manual...in fact there's an ego thing at play here, too. A lot of people in Germany think automatics are for people who can't drive properly. My next car will be…
> German licenses don't expire.
It's effectively this in the U.K. (mine will expire in 50 years), but in Italy they do expire - so it's not an EU wide thing.
For me this is an emotional topic. I want everybody else to use it, but I myself do not want an electric car, an automatic car or a general speed limit. Arguing about stuff like this with (some) Germans is like arguing about guns with (some) Americans. Sure, there is a reasonable position, which is better for society. I don't care, don't take away my [insert toy here]!
How would it be better for society if everybody had automatic transmission?
I would call myself a "car enthusiast" and I drive an automatic - I feel like even in dangerous situations, I have full control of the car. Whether it's sudden need to stop or accelerate, I have full control. In a manual car I've had a few near-accidents where the car just stalled because I was so concentrated on braking and avoiding the obstacle - Which was great, except that I found myself in a middle of a dual carriageway, sideways, with my engine off, stressed to hell, so actually moving out of the way was a huge effort. I had a similar situation in an automatic and there's no such problem - you need to brake, you brake. You need to accelerate - you accelerate. I just think that an automatic transmission allows you to concentrate much more on what's going on around you, without having to worry about being in correct gear and using the clutch.
I drive a slightly modified 2016 WRX with CVT. I purchased the CVT version because I'm almost always stuck in a bumper-to-bumper traffic. However, I regret the decision every day. Every once in a while I throw it in manual and use paddle shifters just to experience what an awesome and fast car it is without the horribly slow CVT shifting in the way. It's been a year now and I can't wait to trade for the manual.
I got my driver's license in Sweden, and the official driving handbook completely worships manual transmissions, and makes several untrue claims about how much better they are than automatics. You can choose to do your road test in an automatic, but that'll earn you a restriction on your license, barring you from driving a manual. It's probably fair, but almost everyone (myself included) chooses to practice in manual…
In Norway, too, we have the same restriction. I think I've driven a manual transmission car once or perhaps twice since my driver's test.
As for eco-driving, I was told in no uncertain terms by the guy who examined me that if I tried to drive as eco-friendly as the official course material suggested, he'd fail me for being a hazard to other traffic.
This is unfortunate given that manufacturers regularly game fuel mileage tests fof automatics to give buyers a sense of better gas mileage(to justify the higher price). Real world tests by consumer reports and others continue to show that manual transmissions get better gas mileage in real world conditions on top of being much more reliable. And before someone mentions it, a clutch wearing out during the working life…
And it isn't all because people don't want to buy them, according to a VP at Subaru it is the cost of taking the car with a manual transmission through the California emissions qualification process, and maintaining records for a car that only 10% of the customers will buy. And they don't offer a non-California model because people were upset about moving to California with a car and then having the state DMV reject…
Similarly, California's laws on furniture flammability generally mean that upholstery is soaked in carcinogens in an attempt to make it burn slower-- but it doesn't actually have any benefits in a fire.
What's the similarity, other than this is also a California regulation?
Sitting on carcinogenic furniture because of a misguided upholstery safety regulation isn't really the same as being "forced" into driving an automatic because of a "misguided" (if you'd call it that) environmental regulation. The potential harm isn't comparable.
(Also, FWIW, I drive a legal CA car with a stick shift.)
I just love it how Americans are so proud if they can "drive a stick". :D Anyway I have a Toyota Auris Hybrid and it's pretty awesome. It's really pleasant to drive. I guess I'm lucky to be able to drive both: automatic & manual because at least in Europe the automatic prices are way higher in rental cars.