A big change for the future. This is what has been leaked from a piece of news that car enthusiasts will not like at all.
Motoring. A broad term today and in the past born from the union of the words autòs and mobìlis; together they make up the meaning of self-driving vehicle. It’s not really like that when you think about it, considering that some more time will have to pass before allowing the car to go on its own. And this is precisely the essence of the entire automotive sector: innovation. Every year we can see many different innovations.
Maybe they don’t satisfy everyone, but they certainly know how to offer new products to the four-wheeler market. And speaking of this, a large company has decided to impose a change that in some ways we could define as epochal without fear of offending anyone. Let’s talk about manual transmissionthat car enthusiasts care so much about. Well, this component is certainly not avant-garde is in danger of disappearing. And, among the many brands, Volkswagen is also moving in this direction.
Manual or automatic transmission: the differences
It is always difficult to answer such questions. After all, automatic transmission and manual transmission are poles apart in terms of technical conception and use. The evolution of engines, however, requires us to reflect on this. As far as the automatic one is concerned, the advantages are mainly in greater driving comfort, especially if we travel in inhabited places. Among the disadvantages is the purchase price, to say the least, high compared to the classic manual gearbox. But even repairs and maintenance are no joke.
Although it remains the most used transmission of all, the one that needs human support, it has various positive aspects. Meanwhile, it is easy to use; it doesn’t affect the purchase price of the car, it doesn’t require constant maintenance and in any case it makes the car a lot of fun to drive. Without forgetting that it gives the driver a feeling of complete control of the vehicle.
However, consumption is higher, and for driving in the city it is not ideal at all. In summary, the manual is fine if you care about saving money on buying or renting a car. And most importantly – for driving outside the city. The exact opposite is the automatic one. If the driving preference concerns moving around urban centres, it is precisely the new component that one must rely on.
Automatic gearbox – Volkswagen decided what to do
The abandonment of the much loved manual transmission. A real nightmare for car enthusiasts. Which, however, is increasingly fashionable among international car brands, starting with Mercedes and BMW, to now also get to Volkswagen. The latter decided to stop production of manual transmissions for its vehicles as of March 2023. Don’t be too scared though, because it seems to be about China. Apparently, the whole thing is written in a letter sent to employees of SAIC Volkswagen in Shanghai.
Not a huge difference compared to what has been done so far, given that the manual gearbox in the plant in question is only present on the Polo, Lavida and Santana models. The decision – still to be confirmed – appears to have been taken due to the change of course undertaken by the entire four-wheel market in China, where plug-in hybrid and electric cars almost exclusively use automatic transmission.
For the moment, therefore, enthusiasts can sleep peacefully. Even if this change seems to be more and more effective in every corner of the globe. We’ll see if Europe and the USA will soon abandon this component in almost every vehicle between now and the near future.
