Breaking Down Why Exactly the Stick Shift is Going Extinct

Back in the days where we began to see cars become a mainstream item in everyone’s driveway, the manual transmission was the only option. Drivers had to learn how to drive these vehicles through the use of a stick shift.

However, before long, the automatic transmission was invented and quickly caught on. In the early years of the automatic, though, it was a luxury item. In fact, manual transmissions would commonly be referred to as a “standard” because they were what came in the car. Getting a car equipped with an automatic transmission was something that would cost extra money.

This is something that’s almost unfathomable to some drivers today.

These days, the auto has transitioned to become a main fixture of driving. After all, something that makes driving easier and more efficient simply makes sense. As the host of this CNBC feature puts it, manuals take “Work, skill, and constant attention.” Meanwhile, an automatic provides an experience that just allows the driver to punch a pedal and go.

Even though it would seem as if driving a manual allows a driver to have more control and be more at one with the car, it just hasn’t really stuck around for the masses. In fact, it seems as if, even in the performance car community, lots of people seem to have been losing interest in the stick shift.

Down in the video below, we get to see a detailed breakdown of what exactly has been happening to the stick shift. Perhaps it’s a combination of a multitude of reasons.

At the end of the day, as sad as it might be, maybe people just aren’t as interested in driving as they used to be. Sure, performance cars still fly off of car dealership lots. However, maybe the casual enthusiast is simply more profitable for automotive manufacturers than somebody who cares enough to learn to drive a stick.