Is the Manual transmission dying?

We live in uncertain times, economies are failing, growth is at a standstill, outbreaks of exotic viral diseases threaten our very existence.

The more pertinent issue however, to petrolheads at least, is the fear that the manual is dying!

Today, with millennials dictating our fate, we face a threat we never once thought we would, we fear the inevitable day when the once beloved "stick shift" will be no more, phrases such as "clutch kick drifts" , "heel and toe downshifts" , "rev matching" becoming nothing more than an echo of a foregone era, ah, the good old days!

It's enough to make me sick!!

But, what if maybe, just maybe our worries are completely baseless. Yes, a large portion of millennials are generally uninterested in manually moving cogs around and yes, newer automatic gearboxes make an increasingly compelling case for the manual's demise. But delve deeper into it, how accurate are we to assume millennials disapprove of the manual gearbox, i think not very accurate indeed, my personal opinion is that the majority of them are probably not too interested in driving on a whole, its a mundane task that they would like done in the easiest manner possible, hence the automatic.

BMW 3 series(F30) manual transmission

Basic economics teaches us that where demand increases, supply will increase too, which is the reason we see almost every manufacturer jumping on the bandwagon to ease the burden of commuting on the driver. Where does this leave us though?

The ones who get a strange satisfaction on every perfect change, knowing that you're faster not just because your car is faster, but because you're a better driver as well. We might be the minority, but you have to ask, do we really even want the majority of cars these days?

With the supply of normal cars being supplied with a manual gearbox dwindling away, it opens up a niche market, i.e. the manual car enthusiast. Some manufacturers have already identified this market and have been producing some brilliant cars specifically for this market. As long as we keep demanding manual cars, somebody will keep supplying them(at least, that's the plan)

So, go on, buy a manual and save an endangered gem

What do you think, is the manual still safe for the time being? let me know in the comments

Porsche 911R(only available in manual) [Google image]

VW Golf GTI Clubsport S(only available in manual) [Google image]