Manual Transmission Sales Are Up Again This Year, Market Domination Inevitable

Cars with manual transmissions are enjoying an uptick in sales for the second consecutive year. By 2021, the sale of stick shifts had dipped below one percent of all auto sales in the U.S., or 0.9 percent, according to J.D. Power. Sales grew to 1.2 percent in 2022, then clawed their way up to 1.7 percent in 2023.

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CarMax reports a similar growth in used sales as opposed to new, citing yearly deliveries of stick shifts that have steadily increased since 2021, per WardsAuto:

CarMax says its manual deliveries are up. After falling to 2.4% of the dealership chain’s sales in 2020, its sales of vehicles with stick shifts bumped up to 2.8% in 2021 and 2.9% in 2022.

Once, auto consumers on a budget saved money by buying vehicles with manual transmissions because they cost less than ones with automatics. Not anymore, CarMax reports, citing its pricing data.

This renewed interest in vehicles with manual transmissions is being attributed to a desire for an engaging driving experience, as Motor1 reports. Some buyers cite different reasons altogether, such as parents not wanting teenagers to use their phones while driving. The idea is you can’t text while rowing your own gears. That’s flat-out wrong because you definitely can text while shifting gears; it’s just harder to text in a stick sift car than in a car with an automatic transmission. But, fair enough.

Parents aren’t the only ones interested in cars with manual transmissions: CarMax says buyers in their twenties are among those who most commonly opt for stick shifts. That’s a hopeful statistic because it proves young people are helping the pendulum swing back around.

Photo: Toyota

There’s also something to be said about the EV transition spurring on the newfound popularity of manual transmissions: on the one hand, electric motors virtually eliminate the need for shifts as we know them, leading to a decline in their popularity. But on the other hand, EVs posing an existential threat to stick shifts has made people seek these out — before they’re all gone.

It’s not likely they’ll be gone entirely in the near future, however, because where there’s a will, there’s a way to make money. And automakers love money. Toyota, for example, made an about-face on the GR Supra, finally offering a six-speed manual transmission on the latest generation of its sports car. The Japanese automaker has also committed to keeping the stick shift optional for the upcoming Toyota Tacoma.

In either case, it’s clear that manual transmissions are no longer cost-cutting measures to be found in base models. Manuals are now highly sought out on many sporty models that tend to come with “market adjustments,” which are little more than dealer markups. But, hey, whatever it takes to save the manuals.