• According to Subaru, 83 percent of buyers of its sporty WRX opt for the manual gearbox, rather than the CVT.
Forty years ago, around 25 percent of new vehicles sold in North America were equipped with a manual gearbox. But times have changed, of course, and in recent years manual transmissions have become a severely endangered species. Many expect them to disappear altogether.
That’s probably unlikely - there will always be manufacturers to offer it, and buyers who will prefer it.
Recent sales data for the Subaru WRX is the latest proof of that. The Japanese automaker recently told Kelley Blue Book (KBB) that currently, 83 percent of buyers go for the manual option. Across the industry, the percentage of manual gearbox adoption rose from 0.9 percent in 2021 to 1.7 percent last year. No doubt the WRX contributed to that jump.
In 2023, 79 percent of Subaru WRXs sold had three pedals, meaning we're seeing an increase in the percentage this year. Other models with high manual gearbox sales rates include Subaru's BRZ as well as the Mazda MX-5, over half of buyers of which opt for a stick shift.
In the past, manual gearboxes offered a major advantage over automatics in terms of fuel economy. This is no longer the case, but one thing hasn’t changed: they were more fun then, and they’re more fun now.