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VW announces the end of the manual transmission. Purists groan, but actually it is the logical consequence of technical development. A comment from the editorial team.
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The car as we know it is being threatened: fuel prices are rising, emissions targets are being tightened, parking spaces are becoming scarce. Now the electric car is being pushed, which brings back memories of the energy-saving lamp, which ultimately failed to establish itself despite all the effort and political will. But what about the good old manual transmission? This will now also be dropped by Volkswagen from 2030. The difference: This step definitely makes sense, despite all the love for purist driving.
Greetings from the gearbox
Every student driver probably knows the famous greeting from the gearbox. The smooth interaction of clutch, gas and – mostly – the right hand needed to be learned. Once perfected, it guaranteed smooth starts, skilful lateral movements or late-pubescent cavalier starts. Splendid. When overtaking, use sporty double-declutching to down a gear and pass the moving obstacle. Great. But the manual transmission has found its masters in modern automatic and dual clutch transmissions.
The manual transmission was the light bulb, modern automatic transmissions are the LED bulb. Because automatic transmissions cannot compete in only two disciplines: weight and price. A manual transmission is technically less complex, therefore cheaper and lighter. But that was it. And the price advantage is disappearing: modern automatic transmissions are becoming increasingly cheaper.
The loss of the manual switch box hurts car enthusiasts like us. Even the argument that the clutch enables an immediate interruption of traction on the drive wheels is now pointless, as ABS and ESP usually intervene sooner than the masters behind the wheel.
The fact is: automatic transmissions are better at sprinting from zero to 100 km/h and still use less fuel during standard driving. There is also added comfort, especially in traffic jams. And since most automatic transmissions have a switching logic that is more fuel-efficient, you tend to glide over the roads at lower speeds, more quietly and more gently on materials. Sorry, dear manual transmission, but you have been technically overhauled and can now retire in glory. It was our pleasure, rest in peace!
Our diary of change serves as a platform for car models with alternative drives, for new mobility solutions and business areas as well as mobility reports from everyday life to capture how mobility will develop from 2021 onwards.
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