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Here's a scary thought for Halloween: between 1980 and 2005 the percentage of cars with a stick shift dropped from 35% to 6%. The rise in gas prices has led to a slight uptick in manual vehicles (7.7% last year), but most cars are still going in the direction of automatic transmissions. You won't be able to get a 2009 F-150 with a manual if you're a truck lover. Even if you want the trickest of trick AMG Mercedes at best you'll have a manumatic 7-speed. The upcoming Chevy Cruze? Supposedly it'll get better fuel economy with an auto tranny. Want a manual transmission? Buy a a Kia Rio. But is this a bad thing? More »
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As a leaked dealer memo indicated earlier this year, BMW's set to launch a DSG-style automanual in its new M3. Having seen neither hide nor hair of the new clockworks in Frankfurt, we're moving on to the next report. That is, word from AutoTelegraaf that the new, electromechanical seven-speed — developed with Getrag — dubbed "M DCT" will debut with the M3 sedan. Talk is of faster, smoother shifts than the M5's unwieldy SMG setup. LA or Detroit debut? Place your bets. [AutoTelegraaf via Motor Authority] More »
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Looks like Jaguar's taken its new, stickless shifter kit to the streets. The spy photo establishment picked up a few shots of an XKR sans J-gate shifter and with, ahem, no noticeable vertical protrusion from the console. The obvious conclusion is the JaguarDrive system (shown), introduced in the C-XF concept car earlier this year, may not be exclusive to the coming XF model. Will the new, button-heavy configuration set Jag apart from its Germanic competitors, or are we watching another iDrive misfortune in its early stages. Right; too soon to tell. – Mike Spinelli More »
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If you're addicted to banging off shifts with VW/Audi's DSG box, you'll soon have a new cog to swap. We've already heard Porsche is working on a similar seven-ratio box, but according to the UK's WhatCar? a new seven-speed DSG automanual will arrive this year. VW's new Direct Shift Gearbox, originally the creation of tranny house Borg Warner, will first appear on the VW Rabbit/Golf. The new sprocket will allow a tighter fit between first and second, which will reportedly improve acceleration while allowing for a taller top gear. But the fragile box is said to top out at 184 lb-ft of torque, so don't expect it to show up in the Audi RS4 anytime soon. It's strictly a low-end enterprise, for now. As for Porsche's system, which would have to be at least twice as robust to survive? That's a question best left to the sultans of Bruce. – Mike Spinelli More »
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If your idea of nirvana is clutchless gear changes with zero lag up and down the cogway, today may be your birthday. So says UK-based Zeroshift, which claims to have developed an add-on mechanism that replaces a manual tranny's synchromesh. It's called the Zeroshift Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), and the company says it can change gears seamlessly — more efficiently than VW/Audi's sublime DSG box. (Here's how it works.) The chart pictured shows the AMT in use on a TVR Cerbera 4.2 equipped with a Tremec T5 five-speed manual. The company says on passenger cars it can reduce wasted fuel, while in more sporting applications — well, you know. – Mike Spinelli More »
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