No more manual transmissions in Volkswagen vehicles in the Chinese market. This may be a harbinger of change that is coming around the world. For fans of manual shifting, there is no good news.
Not so long ago, manual transmissions were the main choice of buyers in most segments. Automatic machines were considered a luxury, popular mostly in luxury and American cars. It was said that such transmissions slow down the car, increase fuel consumption and take away the pleasure of driving. Everything has changed today. Automation is faster, works smoothly and does not affect fuel consumption, and the absence of the need to depress the clutch and “pump” the jack is a comfort that more and more drivers appreciate. They say that once you’ve tried a good automatic transmission, you don’t want to go back to a manual transmission.
Modern hybrid cars that are taking the market by storm also have automatic transmissions. There is no gear change at all. All this means that there are fewer and fewer cars on the market that need to be depressing the clutch.
Volkswagen stops production in China
Volkswagen’s joint venture in China, SAIC Volkswagen, will only produce cars with automatic transmission from 2023, according to Moto Interia. China is the largest automotive market in the world, so this is an important decision. The last cars with “mechanics” will roll off the assembly line in Shanghai in March 2023. After that, the entire plant will be closed. The reason is mainly in the development of alternative energy sources, i.e. hybrids or “electricians”.
And what about the rest of the world?
In our market, you can still buy Volkswagens with a manual transmission. However, it can be expected that year by year there will be fewer of them and they will become less popular. The era in the automotive industry is coming to an end. In a few decades, probably few drivers will know how manual transmissions work and how to operate the clutch.
Source: Wprost
