CINCINNATI: More men than women in the United States are no longer interested in using manual transmission cars, preferring the convenience of the automatic gearbox instead, says a car lease marketplace operator.
According to recent analysis by Swapalease.com, the number of manual transmission vehicles driven by Americans has dropped roughly 22% since 2012.
In its analysis of over 50,000 vehicle records dating back to 2012, Swapalease.com has found that the rate of use is declining for both genders, but it is happening at a faster pace for men compared to women. In fact, the percentage of men driving manual transmission vehicles has dropped from 85.4% in 2012 to 81.2% in 2015. As a result, the percentage for women has responded by adjusting from 14.6% in 2012 to 18.8% in 2015.
Both genders overall are driving fewer manual transmissions during that time, but since the numbers for men are dropping faster, it has caused the percentage to actually increase for women.
The trend has given rise to the term "manual drift", a phrase coined by Swapalease.com executives to address the slow sunset of interest in manual transmissions found in today’s cars.
“It’s not surprising to see the sunset of manual transmission vehicles, particularly when you consider all the conversation around autonomous driving,” said Scot Hall, Executive Vice President of Swapalease.com.
“It’s difficult to explain why men are drifting away from manual faster than women, but perhaps fathers teaching their daughters to drive still see a premium in teaching both driving methods today.”
