GEARBOX SPECIALISTS

SPECIALIST REPAIRS FOR AUTOMATIC AND MANUAL GEARBOXES

Gearboxes – What the public wants, the public will get

Millions of words have been written about the shift from manual gearboxes to automatic – a fair few thousand of them on this website.

To some extent, there is an inevitability that automatic transmissions will become more common, but it can be argued that many have extrapolated too far from this.

It is not inevitable that the death of the manual gearbox is nigh, that within maybe a decade it will be impossible to find a new car that has manual transmission.

The reason that the death of the manual is exaggerated is because it fails to consider the role of the buying public.

If people are more than happy to buy automatics, if there is no resistance to the shift then of course it will happen.

At the other end of the scale, if everyone simply refused to consider automatics then they would fail. Manufacturers would be forced to only make manuals.

And so, of course, and as with almost everything, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Enough people love manuals, enough people are against buying automatics for there to be the certainty that for the foreseeable future manuals will remain a common choice and a transmission type manufacturers continue to develop.

In economics, this is a case of the public getting what they want – if enough people want to buy something then you can rest assured people will make that thing. It makes simple economic sense.

An example of this in action can be seen with the Toyota Supra. The new 3.0-litre version was, Toyota insisted, only going to be available as an automatic.

The torque was better they argued, the automatic was more efficient – developing a manual was an extra expense (OK, they didn’t say this one publicly).

However, many potential buyers weren’t convinced, pestering Toyota, suggesting they did consider a manual, stating how much this would improve the driving experience.

And, guess what has now happened. Toyota it appears are to create a manual version and it may even hit forecourts this year – credit to The Drive website for chasing this story.

Having decided initially to make only an automatic, the addition of a manual will come at huge cost to Toyota. There is also the slight embarrassment of having to backtrack.

For them to even consider this change, let alone make it, there has to be a real benefit. Obviously that benefit is both attracting customers, but also keeping existing ones loyal.

Now, you may argue that this is just one car and not a huge seller at that, but it is indicative. Imagine how many other manufacturers may face this – trying to mothball manuals only to face a public backlash,

Stung by this about-turn, will Toyota think more carefully in future before they look to jettison manuals, will this lead to an acceptance (however reluctant) that in fact they must remain a core offer.

Ultimately the power lies with all of us. What we want from cars will determine what gets made.

ABOUT NORTH WEST TRANSMISSIONS

At North West Transmissions we repair gearboxes or source replacement with guaranteed refurbished units.

A family-run business, we have a truly superb reputation, this shown by our 4.9 out of 5 average rating from dozens of reviews on Google.

All reconditioned gearboxes come with guarantees for 12 months or 12,000 miles while reconditioned automatic units come with a re-manufactured torque converter that has a lifetime guarantee.

Our technicians are all highly skilled with vast experience in reconditioning and repairing all units – importantly their efficiency helps cut down the price of repairs and so too the cost.

Gearbox problems are all-too common. If you find yourself in need of a repair or reconditioned unit, that often being the more economical option in the long term, please contact us.

Call us on 0151 933 0257 or use our Contact Form.