The only time I see manual transmissions anymore on cars is overseas. I’m sure sports cars and work vehicles still sell with them installed
and to think “some” call that progress…
Slowly but surely the 3-pedal arrangement has been disappearing. At least the automakers have finally moved beyond the 4-speed slushbox painstakingly optimized for absolutely nothing. The replacements might not be without their problems, but they do at least seem less prone to Shifting at the Wrong Time Every Time™.
Of the 8 vehicles I’ve owned, 6 were manuals. Of the two automatics I’ve owned, the Integra was mostly tolerable, and the F150 … think that only the inline 6 was sold with a manual in that era and they were a tad uncommon.
I suspect my next daily driver vehicle - ideally 10+ years from now - will not have a manual transmission.
Won’t need it because robots will be driving us.
The MX-5 still has them.
Subaru wrx have manual trans. Pure driving experience. Incuding when in traffic.
Possibly. But the nature of drivetrains is changing regardless of whether the futurists get that one right. I expect electric motors to be providing much if not all of the torque one way or another.
Given the text this is in response to, all I can presume is that you are stating that the MX-5 is not a sports car, and that I need 
If a robot car controls shifting the gears (i.e. it controls it via its algorithm) is that manual or automatic shifting?
A robot that can operate a 3-pedal vehicle would be pretty interesting. Could it out-hooligan Ken Block in the process? Does it wear DC shoes? Is it like the JohnnyCab and only an upper torso, or does it have full ambulation, complete with getting into and out of the vehicle like a boss?
I mean, if we’re going to have driving robots, let’s make them humanform and relateable.
They remove the 3rd pedal most of the time, but these systems were used in the convergence of “paddle shifts” and manual gearboxes just prior to the invention of the DCTs currently dominating the world market…
BMW had the SMG
Lamborghini had the E-Gear
Ferrari had the F1 line
Toyota the SMT
there were others. Usually called “robotized manuals” because all the actual clutch work and gear shifting was done by electronic devices (usually coupled to hydraulic and/or pneumatic actuators).
Some >20 years ago I recall hearing about the first “manumatic” that had what amounted to a full automatic overlay over an otherwise manual gearbox. I believe the overlay mechanically decoupled the clutch and gearshift in automatic operation but the driver could otherwise toggle between them almost arbitrarily.
My reference that you posted is a fanciful allusion to a human robot that could drive a car like a human would.
you could program it to text while at a stop light and give me a reason to honk when the light turns green.
That would make it more relateable.
You left out Porsche’s “Sportomatic” & Volkswagen’s “Autostick” that both debuted in 1968.
Not a fully automatic - had single plate dry clutch, vacuum motor operated via electric contact points in the two piece gear shift shaft, torque converter, …made for a very very expensive clutch (on either the 911 or beetle/ghia).
And Ferrari’s Valeo system. Two pedals and a gated shifter make my mind hurt. Mostly installed on the Mondial, but it made it to a few others.
For a while around 1990 we owned a couple of VW Jetta diesels. Our daughters that it was funny that most boys did not know how to drive a four in the floor.
Also only had only 2 pedals, and, unlike those I mentioned, no “Fully automatic” mode; you always had to shift, just didn’t have to pedal the clutch.
They were an interesting drive…
There was a retrofit kit that was made in South Korea some time in the early 2000s that converted any manual transmission to an automatic clutch activated by a shifter mounted switch. I didn’t get the opportunity to drive it but a friend who had it installed swears by it. It replaced the left leg with some sort of actuator that operated the clutch.
Are DCTs still around or have the issues with them at VW & Ford killed them?