Pour one out for stick shifts in Mercedes…
If you absolutely love manual transmissions and have to buy a new German car, you’ll have to eliminated Mercedes-Benz from the wish list starting next year. A new report from German automotive publication Automobilwoche details out how there are only three Mercedes model lines which can be had with a stick shift right now, with that number going down to zero in 2023. What a sad time to be alive.
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A company spokesman told Automobilwoche the reason for the switchover to automatic transmissions is electrification. Does that really make sense? After all, can’t they keep using manuals in cars with internal combustion engines? It’s actually surprising Mercedes hasn’t blamed this switchover on covid or swine flu.
Well, the statement from the company spokesman also blamed customer demand for the shift. It’s because everyone doesn’t want to be bothered to put their phone down to change gears that manuals are dying. Convenience is king, after all, so waiting 30 minutes for your EV to recharged versus 3 minutes for the gas pump to finish up is of course going to revolutionize the world.
This transition has been happening gradually and apparently will continue to happen gradually. In other words, it doesn’t want to let BMW, Audi, and others know exactly when the changeover is happening. The competition in Deutschland is fierce.
The last three model series still offering a stick are the A, B, and CLA. Since we don’t have the B-Class in the US, that means we’re down to just two model lines with a manual transmission. Once those switch to boring automatics you’ll be forced to hold your nose and buy a BMW if you want the third pedal. The horror.
Source: Automobilwoche
