This is stated in the latest report from Mazda Canada. As noted by the Canadian division of the Japanese brand, the automatic emergency braking system, which has already become a mandatory feature in new cars, is "tuned" specifically to work with automatic transmissions. All processes in the car are controlled by automation, and there is simply no room for human (i.e., driver) involvement.
Mazda Canada emphasized that if in 2016 cars with manual transmissions accounted for 19.2 percent of sales, by 2020 this figure had dropped to 6.4 percent. Such a sharp decline will soon lead the manufacturer to abandon manual transmissions altogether, as it will become unprofitable to maintain factory lines with this type of transmission.
Currently, the global market share of manual transmissions is only 17.1 percent, and in North America – just 1.2 percent. So, other brands will likely follow Mazda's path over time.
The main trump card of the "manual" for many years was lower fuel consumption and greater reliability. However, the "automatic" is improving, and now it is fully ready to replace the traditional gearbox. Especially amid the mass introduction of fuel-efficient hybrids.
By the way, not long ago AutoPortal wrote about a case where thieves wanted to steal a car, but were not prepared for it to be… a manual.
