I went on the internet and found some numbers!

"J. Walter Weatherman" (J-WalterWeatherman)
08/19/2013 at 17:55 • Filed to: None

Manual transmission take rate, United States, last 10 years:

2012 - 6.5%

2011 - 3.8%

2010 - 3.9%

2009 - 4.4%

2008 - 3.7%

2007 - 2.9%

2006 - 7.2%

2005 - 6.7%

2004 - 5.5%

2003 - 8.2%

2002 - 8.5%

Its interesting to see how much it changes year-to-year. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is where I found the numbers. Does anyone know where numbers for 2013 can be found? Or where pre-2002 numbers can be found?

DISCUSSION (42)

HammerheadFistpunch > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 17:56

its on the rise? or at least 2012 was a good year.

dogisbadob > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 17:58

Look at that 2012 rebound! Maybe people thought it would be the end of the world?

Blondude > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 17:58

I wonder if the Toyobaru had any influence on the spike in sales for 2012.

ZeroOrDie - Powered By MZR > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 18:02

Can we get the percentage of the market for manuel transmissions now?

Also save the manuals!

HammerheadFistpunch > Blondude
08/19/2013 at 18:03

ill bet it has a lot to do with the tdi passat to be honest.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 18:03

Interesting, wondering if there is any correlation with the marketing of either a "new" "affordable enthusiast car" or the redesign of an existing one.

J. Walter Weatherman > Blondude
08/19/2013 at 18:06

It certainly couldn't have hurt. According to this article , the take rate of the manual on the Toyobaru is just above 50% (which is actually lower than I would have guessed).

J. Walter Weatherman > HammerheadFistpunch
08/19/2013 at 18:08

Apparently. Lets hope that wasn't just a blip, but actually is a trend upwards.

Saracen > Blondude
08/19/2013 at 18:09

I don't think there are enough Toyobaru sales to cause that much of a jump.

J. Walter Weatherman > Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
08/19/2013 at 18:11

Who knows. It is interesting to see in the article I linked that Ford is selling more than double the amount of manual Focuses than it expected to, so it isn't just the performance/enthusiast side of the market that is driving the upswing.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 18:12

Today was a good day.

Kinja'd!!!

Gamecat235 > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 18:14

Such a small percentage. It's actually remarkable that the majors keep them around given these numbers.

DailyTurismo > ZeroOrDie - Powered By MZR
08/19/2013 at 18:21

I si what you did there..

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 18:21

Interesting. My Z4 is one of only 2.9% of automobiles sold/leased that year with a stick.

I think I'll keep it around...

J. Walter Weatherman > Gamecat235
08/19/2013 at 18:23

Down at 2.9% in 2007, I would agree with you. Up at the current 6.5%, that is actually a pretty significant amount of cars.

The US is buying, what, 13 million cars a year right now? So 6.5% of that is 845,000 cars? That is a pretty decent chunk of sales.

To look at the numbers another way, if you exclude the models sold that don't offer a manual option (quoted in the article as 81% of models available), the cars that have a manual option, there is approximately a 1/3 manual take rate? Not too shabby. Definitely money to be made by the manufacturers.

Edit: On second thought, I don't think the math in my last paragraph checks out. However, it is still interesting that only 19% of the models sold in the US have a manual option, yet manuals still make up 6.5% of total sales.

J. Walter Weatherman > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
08/19/2013 at 18:25

As if you needed more reasons to keep a Z4 around...

Gamecat235 > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 18:26

That's a more reassuring measurement. Of course it means more and more people are still buying appliances with wheels. But it's still broken down to manufacturer. So how many people bought manual Toyota's?

But that was 5 years of sub 5%, and an average right around 4%...

Jonathan Harper > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 18:26

Did I take that lede pic? I think I may have.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 18:27

I can think of 265 reasons to start with...

twinturbobmw > Blondude
08/19/2013 at 18:27

I bet it was the Toybaru and the new 911 because it has a 7 speed which no one has seen before, causing big sales. Same story with the C7 Corvette when it comes out.

J. Walter Weatherman > Jonathan Harper
08/19/2013 at 18:32

Holy shit, I don't know, I just found it with a GIS, when I was looking for a pretty picture to put in this post. Here is where Google tells me it got the picture.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 18:39

it almost looks like it follows our economy to an extent, 2008-ish for example. Does this perhaps correlate to toy/weekend/splurge car purchases, which would more frequently be had with a manual?

Leadbull > Jonathan Harper
08/19/2013 at 18:40

Jbh, everyone is stealing your stuff.

Hermann > twinturbobmw
08/19/2013 at 18:41

The only person I've heard about ever driving the new 911 in manual was in a dealer. He said it was too weird to have these many gears in something that's not a truck, especially on a race track. He bought a PDK.

I bet the same will happen to all those "purists" when the C7 comes out.

J. Walter Weatherman > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
08/19/2013 at 18:41

Good point. I really wish we could see some more detailed numbers. It would be fascinating to see how that brakes down among market segments.

Jid M > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 19:09

Hooray! I'm part of the 3.8% from 2011. Good times.

J. Walter Weatherman > Jid M
08/19/2013 at 19:13

I have been part of the 5.5% from 2004 and the 7.2% from 2006, but now am part of the group of unknown size from 2013.

Jonathan Harper > Leadbull
08/19/2013 at 19:22

Haha I'm ok with it. I make good medias sometimes.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 19:32

fords theory on the subject:

Ford says that one of every four Focus buyers comes from a household with $100,000-plus annual income. The automaker notes that those are people most likely to have traveled overseas, where manuals are much more common, thus to have rented stick-shift cars and liked them enough to want the same in their driveways.

more here: link

as the article points out another good reason is an increased appetite for smaller cars. Which more typically come with manuals.

wkiernan > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 19:52

Here's my wild-ass guess. 2007 comes along and all those people who have for the last decade or so been under the influence of what Alan Greenspan once called "irrational exuberance" start to feel the chill of impending doom and consequently postpone their plans for a "fun car," i.e. one with a proper shifter for exuberant motoring, and instead opt for a "sensible car", i.e. a safe, dull transportation appliance. Then the stuff really hits the fan in late 2007 and potential car buyers are too busy fending off bankruptcy and homelessness to even imagine "fun." Now that at least some people have recovered a bit of financial security, it's time to bring on the "fun cars" again!

J. Walter Weatherman > wkiernan
08/19/2013 at 19:57

Sounds like a reasonable explanation to me.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 20:32

Listen Y'all, I want to be able to be able to post on OPPO, but I need the permission. I have many interesting things to say.

J. Walter Weatherman > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
08/19/2013 at 20:41

I passed along your request to the mods. One of them should be here shortly to assist.

$kaycog > J. Walter Weatherman
08/19/2013 at 20:43

I added him. :D

nobody > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
08/19/2013 at 20:47

You've been added. Let me know if you can't post.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > $kaycog
08/19/2013 at 20:47

THANKS +$KAY!!!!!!

This handsome man ill bring you this beast as soon as he's done with it!!

Kinja'd!!!

$kaycog > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
08/19/2013 at 20:48

Let me know if you can't post. Welcome to Oppo!

J. Walter Weatherman > $kaycog
08/19/2013 at 20:58

Kinja'd!!!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > J. Walter Weatherman
08/20/2013 at 10:12

Thanks for the numbers.

Ce he sin > J. Walter Weatherman
08/21/2013 at 08:07

Interesting percentages.

I live in a place which I'm guessing is 98 or 99% manual and it isn't changing.

Wonk Unit > J. Walter Weatherman
08/21/2013 at 11:12

so that is 6.5% of all cars sold correct? wonder what the numbers would look like if it was the percentage of manual cars sold, from the pool of cars that offer a manual. it might look a little less depressing. good to see that the numbers are on the rise though!

J. Walter Weatherman > Wonk Unit
08/21/2013 at 11:16

Yeah, it is the percentage of all cars sold. I would love to see a greater breakdown of those numbers, but haven't been able to find anything.