Volkswagen is increasingly relying on automatic transmissions and is phasing out the manual transmission. The first two models without a clutch pedal should be the next generation of Passat and Tiguan models from 2023.
A company spokesman said this at the weekend, confirming a report by the magazine “auto motor und sport”. “More and more customers want the convenience of an automatic transmission,” said the spokesman. Volkswagen is also following this trend. The optimal choice of switching points also has a positive effect on consumption. “Due to the high installation rates, the next generation of Passat and Tiguan models will be converted accordingly.”
In the compact and small car segment, however, the departure from manual transmission will take a little longer, according to the spokesman. Some models shouldn’t necessarily have an automatic until at least the end of the decade.
Since VW is basically on the way to electromobility or parting with the internal combustion engine, parting with the manual gearbox is only a matter of time – electric vehicles usually have a single-speed gearbox or drive like automatic cars .
The automatic rate has long been increasing at other manufacturers too. In the premium segment in particular, there is hardly any manual switching anymore. Mercedes announced last year that it would do without manual transmissions.