The word transmission elicits a knee-jerk reaction in automotive enthusiasts that makes them unable to resist the urge to say “SAVE THE MANUALS!” And although I’m not immune to the charms of a good stick shift, I wonder how far that urge goes?
Automakers like Toyota are testing the bounds of that desire by investing real, honest-to-goodness dollars in developing electric vehicles with fake manual transmissions. In Toyota’s case, it announced recently that the technology would debut in 2026.
To be fair to Toyota, the announcement of a simulated stick shift seems to have captured more headlines than its promise that the vehicle will have a range of more than 621 miles (1,000 km), so the technology has garnered attention. Not all of it has been good, though.
More: Toyota To Debut Manual Gearbox For EVs In 2026
Some responses to the announcement have been pretty bad, in fact. Twitter user @dylanmatt called the idea “silly and embarrassing,” while our own comment section wasn’t any more receptive to the idea. Commentor MICHGO said, “SOUNDS LIKE A STUPID IDEA” (emphasis not my own).
I can kind of see why Toyota would be surprised by that reaction, though. People have been complaining about sports cars with automatic transmissions for years, even though those cars are faster and more comfortable with an automatic transmission.
If manuals aren’t technically superior in ICE cars, why would it matter that they also aren’t technically superior in an EV? In other words, if the primary advantages of a manual transmission are not related to speed or technical suitability, why wouldn’t people want it in an EV? Moreover, if you’re worried that vehicles are becoming appliances thanks to electric motors, why not add a little soul with the very thing that people say provides a connection to the car?
And yet, I find myself unimpressed by the idea of an EV with completely unnecessary and entirely artificial shifting and engine noises. And maybe @dylanmatt’s comment really gets at the heart of why. The idea is the worst thing any idea can be today: cringe.
What do you think? Do you like the idea of a “manual” transmission in an EV? Is there any way to make the idea work, or is the idea doomed from the start? Let us know in the comments section.
This is so silly and embarrassinghttps://t.co/CBKaF1qzv0
— dylan matthews (@dylanmatt) June 14, 2023