Bad news, everyone. The stick shifts are dying out.
Of course, this is not the novelty of some recent events but rather a chronic ongoing process since many years and decades. While this trend has only surged in Europe in the past 5-10 years, the United States has had a predominant affinity towards the automatic gear lever since the last century. Growing up in Germany back in the 90s and 2000s, manual-transmission cars were making up maybe 70-90% of all automobiles on the road. An automatic transmission was a sign of wealth and comfort as these were only available in luxury vehicles and for a significant price upgrade. The saying always went that automatics are slower, less fuel-efficient and more prone for technical failure and damage.
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