30/07/2021
Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 31/07/2021
Automatic choice as carmakers throw out the manual
Joshua Dowling
Drive
Learning to drive a manual transmission – doing “kangaroo hops” in empty car parks with a nervous mum or dad in the passenger seat – used to be a right of passage and our ticket to freedom. But figures show it’s a diminishing skill as fewer novice drivers than ever before opt for a manual licence – and, as a result, manual cars are disappearing from showrooms.
The Toyota Corolla – Australia’s top-selling passenger car – will no longer be available with a manual transmission from next month. It’s more affordable sibling, the Toyota Yaris city car, is also about to ditch the manual option.
Data from VicRoads shows just 10 per cent of novice drivers applying for their licence over the past 12 months did their driving test in a manual transmission car. A decade ago, 23 per cent of novice drivers had a manual transmission endorsement on their provisional licence. And 15 years ago, 42 per cent of provisional drivers undertook a manual transmission driving test.
The decline in the choice of new manual transmission cars has also been accelerated by a generation of young people who aren’t in a hurry to get their driver’s licence – or don’t get one at all. Instead, say industry experts, young people are increasingly relying on public transport and ride-share services.
While the number of drivers on the nation’s roads has increased in line with population growth, the most recent data from NSW Transport shows drivers in the 16 to 19-year-old age bracket make up 5.7 per cent of car licence holders, down from 6.5 per cent a decade ago.
Special purpose vehicles such as utes, vans, and four-wheel-drives continue to be widely available with manual transmission, however even the number of performance cars with a “stick shift” is declining. The latest Chevrolet Corvette and Toyota Supra sports cars are not available as a manual, and a gear stick is a rare option in the iconic Porsche 911 these days. BMW stopped offering a manual option on its latest Z4 convertible after selling just two examples locally over an entire year.
James Stewart, whose company Driving Solutions teaches 5000 drivers a year, says he has witnessed the decline in the take-up of manual transmission over the past 20 years.
“These days we would be lucky to see one driver in 20 in a manual.”
Some parents push their kids into learning to drive a manual because they regard it as a necessary skill or because its the cheaper option.
“What you end up with are the kids who are really passionate about driving, need a manual licence because they’re a tradie, or are leaning a manual because they’re under some financial stress.”
