Mercedes-Benz to phase out manual transmission from 2023 due to greater demand for electrification

Mercedes-Benz will be phasing out manual transmission from its vehicles from next year, a spokesperson of the automaker has told German publication Automobilwoche.

The move stems from increasing customer demand for electric mobility and the greater demand for electrified vehicle components, batteries and partial electric drive systems, the spokesperson told the publication. In selected markets, the A-Class and B-Class continue to be available with the choice of manual transmission.

While Mercedes-Benz had stated that it will begin phasing out manual transmission from its passenger car line from 2023, the automaker did not specify an exact date, Automobilwoche wrote.

The German manufacturer has indicated its intent to this effect previously, with Mercedes-Benz head of research and development Markus Schäfer stating in 2020 that manual transmissions will be phased out as part of the streamlining of the carmaker’s internal combustion engine range, according to Autocar.

As of May 2021, the global market for cars equipped with manual transmission has dropped to 17.1% according to statistics from IHS Markit and the ZF Group. In the United States, IHS Markit data found that sales of electric vehicles have overtaken sales of vehicles with manual transmission in 2020.

The move away from manual transmission is also reflected in the wider car industry, as increasingly commonplace active safety systems work best with automatic transmissions, in addition to the overall decline in demand for the manual gearbox.

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