% of automatics cars sold

[airbalancer]

I found this
"Automatic transmissions are ordered on about 95% of cars sold in the U.S., and some 75% of those sold in Japan, but only roughly 10% of cars currently sold in Europe have automatics, says a source at Jatco Corp., a major Japanese supplier of automatic transmissions"

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3165/is_n10_v27/ai_11405100 and this was in OCT '91

Do you think the % is higher now

[Julie]

I wonder what the percentage is in Canada.

I'll put a guess out there: 75%.

[johngenx]

I wonder what the percentage is in Canada.

I'll put a guess out there: 75%.

Considering that 100% of mini-vans, 100% of mid-sized and above SUV's and probably 95%+ of near/luxury cars are AT equipped, it might be higher.  Before the BMW brigade flames away, pretty much every Lexus, Mercedes, and Infinity are AT equipped, and a significant portion of BMW cars are AT.

Can you buy an MT Camry?  I don't recall seeing one for many years now.  I have noticed a few MT Accords on lots, but they seem rare.

[AVToller]

I wonder what the percentage is in Canada.

I'll put a guess out there: 75%.

I only joined the "dark side" this decade, but I suspect that your estimate is overly optimistic. MY guess would be closer to 85-92%.

As to Europe, I have a vague memory that the % of automatics IS, in fact, on the rise - the figure 20% is rattling around in my head for some reason. 

[safristi]

   NO BRAINS       ?

[AVToller]

  NO BRAINS       ?

Reasonable guess. What were we discussing? 

[safristi]

 Brian's egg_nog recipe.....!!??........  4 OZ RUM,pinch of Nutmeg...swallow repeat.........damn the eggs and cream............

[wing]

90% in Canada I would guess.  A lot of small cars in QC are manual

[Mitlov]

Before the BMW brigade flames away, pretty much every Lexus, Mercedes, and Infinity are AT equipped, and a significant portion of BMW cars are AT.

In all fairness, a distinction needs to be drawn between BMW offering manual transmissions on a model and actually selling manuals.  BMW offers manuals on nearly everything they sell.  HOWEVER, every BMW I've ever ridden in was an automatic.  In my non-scientific experience, BMW owners prefer automatics.

In addition, last summer I was going to test-drive the new 3-series.  When I called the local BMW dealership, they didn't have a single manual-transmission 3-series in stock!  You had to special-order to get a manual!  And that's the frickin' 3-series 

(I ended up getting sick and not going for a test-drive at all, but the very fact that they had no manuals in the entire dealership was a bit of a reality check for me)

[Trainman]

Before the BMW brigade flames away, pretty much every Lexus, Mercedes, and Infinity are AT equipped, and a significant portion of BMW cars are AT.

In all fairness, a distinction needs to be drawn between BMW offering manual transmissions on a model and actually selling manuals.  BMW offers manuals on nearly everything they sell.  HOWEVER, every BMW I've ever ridden in was an automatic.  In my non-scientific experience, BMW owners prefer automatics.

This is huge.  MT's were offered in the Pathfinder right up to the end of the 2004 model year but try find a MT late model Pathfinder.  And same with a lot of 3/4+ ton pickups, I am seeing a lot more ATs in the bush now than in the past.

[AVToller]

"I am seeing a lot more ATs in the bush now than in the past."

I must say that I was VERY surprised at how competent the slushbox Forester was on really terrible, washed-out forestry roads. It was my first automatic equipped car, so I was expecting the worst, but I quickly found that it was very well suited to such driving. Certainly there are situations in which I would much rather be driving manual other than just from the fun/involvement point of view. Carving canyons - especially with downhill sections - comes immediately to mind, but for creeping along unpaved "roads ", at least the Subaru automatic worked amazingly well for me.

[Snowman]

I will guess Canada is in the same range as the US. Not under 90% for sure.

[Snowman]

"I am seeing a lot more ATs in the bush now than in the past."

I must say that I was VERY surprised at how competent the slushbox Forester was on really terrible, washed-out forestry roads. It was my first automatic equipped car, so I was expecting the worst, but I quickly found that it was very well suited to such driving. Certainly there are situations in which I would much rather be driving manual other than just from the fun/involvement point of view. Carving canyons - especially with downhill sections - comes immediately to mind, but for creeping along unpaved "roads ", at least the Subaru automatic worked amazingly well for me.

Only one of my off-road vehicles was a manual. The low range slushboxes on modern 4x4 trucks are very good and have served me fine in all conditions.

[Bullet Blue]

I wonder what the percentage is in Canada.

I'll put a guess out there: 75%.

Can you buy an MT Camry?  I don't recall seeing one for many years now. 

Toyota hasn't dropped the MT option on their Camry's, they were available in the last two generations, and I believe can still be had on the SE model for the present generation Camry. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if 97% or higher of all Camry sales were AT.

[tpl]

Somewhere recently I read that AT in Canada was 90%+/-1% 

Before the BMW brigade flames away, pretty much every Lexus, Mercedes, and Infinity are AT equipped, and a significant portion of BMW cars are AT.

In all fairness, a distinction needs to be drawn between BMW offering manual transmissions on a model and actually selling manuals.  BMW offers manuals on nearly everything they sell.  HOWEVER, every BMW I've ever ridden in was an automatic.  In my non-scientific experience, BMW owners prefer automatics.

In addition, last summer I was going to test-drive the new 3-series.  When I called the local BMW dealership, they didn't have a single manual-transmission 3-series in stock!  You had to special-order to get a manual!  And that's the frickin' 3-series 

(I ended up getting sick and not going for a test-drive at all, but the very fact that they had no manuals in the entire dealership was a bit of a reality check for me)

When I bought/ordered my 330xi in fall 2002  BMW Canada's inventory of 330xi was 9 auto 1 manual...and as it happened they were all silver with black leather.

I have always wondered about this NA predeliction for automatics even in small cars ( I quite understand why a old fashioned "full size" car with a big V8 would be auto). 
Good advertising by the Big 3 over the years.
Big 3 manual transmission being often not too good.
People taught to drive at 16 by the "shop teacher"  with minimal training except to parallel park**
Cheap gas.



** this may be a European myth about NA for all I know

[AVToller]

"People taught to drive at 16 by the "shop teacher"  with minimal training except to parallel park"

  That was EXACTLY the case at my school. Mr. Thompson was the shop teacher and driver-ed teacher, and he knew very little about either.    He was also the swimming coach even though he couldn't swim. 

I did get a good basic education from my father, however, and there were only a few significant errors in his teaching. I, like almost everyone else I knew, learned on a manual transmission - 3-on-the-tree of course. BTW, that was in the US.

[Snowman]

I learnt to drive manual in a Datsun pick-up when I was 14 while hunting with my Dad. Sometimes Dad was not able to drive back to down from a visit to his buddies hunt camp.

[safristi]

DID U teach sex -Ed  Avt     

[AVToller]

DID U teach sex -Ed  Avt     

No - those who CAN'T do, teach. 

[dr_spock]

Auto are easier to drive, one less thing to think about.