STANDARD LOVE: Automatically Cool And Written by Reginald A. Craig

STANDARD LOVE: Automatically Cool And Written by Reginald A. Craig

The manual transmission is going by the way of phonograph records. Just when you thought they were extinct, Generation Z gives them one last dance. However true to industry form, spreadsheets, pie charts and graphs ultimately will supersede the desires of young enthusiast. Automotive brands groove to a different tune that will cut and scratch a new rhythm in your mind.


HANGING BY A THREAD:
Right now Big Box stores are in the process of eliminating audio compact disc from their store  shelves, and eventually to follow suit will be DVD’s and Blu-rays. Oddly enough though, Best Buy will continue to sell music on Wax as the full streaming experience transitions. This situation is synonymous with the autonomous. Ever since the Automatic Transmission, cars have been in a physical to digital transformation. At the present Ford is eliminating several sedans and focusing on the Mustang “for now” as its primary driver oriented car. Moreover, Trucks and SUV’s are just moments away from driverless capabilities. It’s only natural people will feel a loss of spirit as new vehicles will place a buffer between you and the wheels. So, in a sense the Mustangs analog controls warms the soul just as pops and crackles do from vinyl. I really hope “The Big Three” are listening because I Want My Daddy’s Records.


A LITTLE HISTORY:
Cost have always been an intricate part of automakers influence over the public. Henry Ford famously sold the Model T to customers in any color as long as it was black, Ha Ha!  Actually other colors were available at the start and cap of a near 20 year production, however somewhere sandwiched in-between for a solid decade, black was the offer you couldn’t refuse.
In modern times Ford identified with the Bronco II, that higher profit margins were achieved by building daily drivers on truck platforms. In 1998 Ford raised the bar using the same formula creating the Lincoln Navigator; a luxury SUV based on the Ford Expedition - mounted on an F-150 chassis.
Fellow automakers would follow suit and eventually the entire industry shifts priority to SUV’s. The resilience of the two box design climbed many mountains including the 2008 Global Economic Recession, but larger SUV’s (Hummer, Escalade, etc.) had fluttered under gasoline price hikes. Once again miles per gallon would matter for the first time since the 1973 Oil Crisis, fortunately the evolution of the Crossover would answer the call. In effort to lighten the load majority of SUV’s would join the modified unibody car platforms. Originally Body-On-Frame was the money maker and marketed as toughness, but strategy regrouped under the Unibody structure to emphasize Third Row Seating and the lovable All Wheel Drive system. Crossovers maintained the traditional SUV shape and appeal, especially by including luxury items previously featured on the larger heavier platform. The industry was lockstep to keep opinion favorable for the reworked SUV, because even as a Crossover they could charge a premium $$$ over the base vehicle it was built on.
Despite their structural differences, over time the general public would refer to both of these configurations simply as SUV’s.


BACK TO THE FUTURE:
Ditching the third pedal for paddle shifting is all the rage in supercars. Dual-clutch autos are aggressively becoming the performance transmission of choice. Dual-clutch transmissions also fits the program to evolve the physically operated vehicle into a superior versatile self-driving apparatus.

Video Reference - Working of Dual Clutch Transmission (DSG):

A prominent few automotive reviewers who are convinced the manual is subpar to this emerging technology will persuade the population, therefore lingering resistance towards the autonomous vehicle will dissolve. Some auto enthusiast are reluctant to embrace autonomous vehicles in effort to save the manuals, but actually the dual-clutch should be a greater concern against their efforts. With each passing year we are moving closer towards the autonomous vehicle no matter what. Once this creation is fully the standard of road travel, I certainly hope we are privileged to flip a switch and veer off course to areas exclusive for earthling control. Please know I totally embrace the idea of driverless cars and the improved safety they will bring, but when the urge to get back in the saddle comes calling I can’t think of a combination more thrilling than three pedals and a Mustang.

Now before I carry on again celebrating the coveted pony car, reality is it probably will be the Mustang GT that actually puts the final nail in the coffin to deep-six the Stick. You see for 2018 Ford offers a 10-Speed Automatic with quicker 0-60 MPH and slightly better fuel economy than the traditional manual version.

Video Reference - Can the 2018 Ford Mustang GT Do a Sub-4:

That performance edge was accomplished with a torque converter, so imagine the advantage a double-clutch auto transmission would create once production cost are affordable enough to be introduced in all trim levels. Furthermore it’s in the industries best interest to streamline assembly with less moving parts. Equipping vehicles with drive-by-wire and simple upgrades that just pop-in such as infotainment systems will save a manufacture time and money.

Video Reference - Car Tech 101: The coming revolution:

Stick shifts have linkages and other crude metal parts that surely labor cost is higher than robotically installed plug-in’s. Bottom line, the industry get what it wants and will guide your path to purchase even if you cling to nostalgia.

 


CLOSING THOUGHTS:
First supercars now pony and muscle. Multi speed autos will sway opinion of an archaic manual, just like how SUV’s flipped the script on sedans. An automatic transmission in a Sports Car used to be taboo, but now movements are quickly shifting into a new gear. Change is in motion and automatics will be the new “COOL” Standard.

…But can we Autocross an Autonomous?


PS… Look below to find my previous Blog post:
Lincoln Love: A True Story Experienced
Food Love: Learned Experimented
Music Love: Listened Enjoyed
Parenting Love: Meaningfully Communicated
Vehicle Love: Desired Admired
Finance Love: Forever Indebted
Conspiracy Love - Intriguing Entertainment
 

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