No manual transmission cars or combustion engine cars. The director of the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre in Germany believes that both are outdated. In his view, they have no place even in the sports car segment, especially now that electrification is gaining ground and there are high-performance zero-emission cars such as the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N.
‘No one wants manual gearboxes and handbrakes or analogue instruments anymore.’
If we weigh up the advantages of automatic transmission and manual transmission, automatic wins hands down. Automatic transmissions are more efficient, more economical, infinitely more comfortable and better suited to driver assistance systems.
It also makes more sense to let a machine do the work, rather than constantly using the third pedal and gear lever, so driving an automatic car is more relaxed and comfortable than a manual one.
Of course, when it comes to sporty driving, the sensations provided by a manual gearbox are light years away from those of an automatic. But, mind you, it’s only a matter of sensation: automatics allow you to drive faster and get more out of the car, especially in very powerful models, which is why it’s now virtually impossible to find a sports car or supercar with three pedals.
Manual transmissions have almost disappeared in this type of car, but what about the rest? Well, Hyundai believes that these transmissions will eventually disappear, not only from the sports car segment, but in general.
The fact that there is less and less demand for this type of gearbox has a lot to do with it, but it is also directly related to the increase in electrification. In fact, in an interview with the British publication CAR, the director of Hyundai Motor Europe’s Technical Centre, Tyrone Johnson, also predicts the death of combustion cars, starting with high-performance models.
‘No one wants manual gearboxes and handbrakes or analogue instruments anymore. Our combustion cars and electric vehicles have very similar interfaces,’ says Johnson, who before joining Hyundai worked at Ford and Jaguar F1 on projects such as the Mustang Shelby in the mid-1990s and the Focus WRC.
‘I’m a performance guy. I don’t understand the idea that sports cars are dying. If you want to go fast, there’s nothing better than an electric car. I don’t understand the nostalgia,’ says Johnson, referring to Hyundai’s electric sports cars, such as the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N and the upcoming Hyundai IONIQ 6 N.
‘I can understand that some people want sound, vibrations and things like that. Those sensory issues help the human brain understand what’s going on in the car. That’s why we incorporate artificial sounds into electric vehicles.’
Finally, Johnson clarifies that brands simply end up doing what the customer demands: “Don’t forget that a car is a commodity, and people will buy it for many reasons, whether it’s for its performance or because it has built-in shoe sanitizers. There have been many changes in 40 years. I remember years ago people saying things like ABS and ESP would never be implemented on a large scale. In 20 years’ time, you may not be able to buy a car without shoe sanitizers, if the market feels that need,” he explains.
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