Global automotive transmission outlook 2025

Automobiles with automatic transmission are expected to account for about one fourth of the market by 2025. The evolution of transmission modes is largely driven by vehicle performance requirements and fuel economy targets. Additionally, automatic transmission often provides more comfort when roads are congested or traffic is slow.

Global auto production by transmission type

In 2015, four out of ten light vehicles produced worldwide was equipped with manual transmission, while automatic cars represented around 34 percent of the global share. In the European Union, vehicles with manual transmission are more common than automatic transmission vehicles, while the majority of U.S.-assembled vehicles are fitted with automatic transmission and continuously variable transmission. U.S. motor vehicle transmission and powertrain parts manufacturing gross output came to some 40 billion U.S. dollars in 2017.

History of automatic transmission

General Motors created the first automatic transmission vehicle in 1939/1940. The Hydramatic became a regular production option in Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, Rolls-Royce vehicles and Pontiacs. By 1957, over 80 percent of the U.S. automobile market consisted of automatic transmission automobiles. Since then, there has been indecision on whether or not manual cars are increasing in popularity, although, it is certain that there will always be a niche market in the U.S. for manual cars.