British sports-car brand Aston Martin says it is committed to producing manual transmission-equipped vehicles for the foreseeable future.
Aston Martin’s performance boss, Simon Newton, told UK media outlet Top Gear during a recent interview: “If that’s where the business goes, it would be a pleasure to keep working on the manual.
“It’s an added dimension – you can’t be a passenger in the car. You have to be engaged all the time. And I’ve always liked manuals in really slow speed corners. You can kick the clutch and play with it and it’s just great fun.”
Aston Martin’s lead designer Marek Reichman echoed his colleague’s sentiments during the interview with Top Gear.
“If you’re forced down an alleyway, you want to do something different. So, if the world has become electrified and automated, people want something different,” Mr Reichman told Top Gear magazine.
This enthusiasm towards manual transmission cars comes one year after the British brand dropped the option of a stick shift from its regular production line-up.
In 2021, then-CEO Andy Palmer announced the 2022 Aston Martin Vantage would be the last model to be equipped with a manual transmission.
Currently, neither the Australian nor the UK Aston Martin websites offer a manual transmission option on any series production vehicles.
Just one special edition manual-equipped Aston Martin has since been offered to the public, in the form of the recently-unveiled Valour.
Built to celebrate the brand’s 110th birthday, just 110 Valour units will be built, with pricing estimated to be in the region of $AU1.9 million to $AU2.9 million.
Inspired by the Victor concept car, this Valour is powered by a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 engine which makes 526kW and 753Nm.
This is sent exclusively to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission and mechanical limited-slip differential
When speaking to Top Gear regarding the Valour, Reichman revealed demand met expectations once the Valour went on sale.
“I had no doubt that we would sell out before the announcement. It’s very sold out.”
Toyota has confirmed that the upcoming 2024 Tacoma will keep its manual transmission. The brand recently teased the latest-generation Tacoma with a single image — one that shows three pedals for the new Tacoma. Details, predictably, are scarce. “Legends are more than automatic; they always come in clutch. The all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma, available with a six-speed manual transmission,” says Toyota.
The only real detail here other than confirmation of the new truck’s transmission is the number of forward gears. Toyota also said to “stay tuned for more.” A release date for the Tacoma has not been specified yet. The transmission will likely be derived from the last one offered in the current Tacoma. Toyota could also include a low-speed crawler gear as Ford has done with the Bronco’s manual.
