Mercedes-Benz has announced that as of next year, the automotive brand will begin to phase out its manual transmissions. They initially alluded to dropping their manual vehicles back in 2020, but despite not announcing an exact date, they have now announced that this change is set to start taking place in 2023.
A report released by Automobilwoche reported that Mercedes is making the move due to changing consumer demand:
“With increasing electrification, we see that customer demand is shifting towards electric mobility components, batteries and (partially) electric drive systems… Gradually [Mercedes-Benz will] no longer offer manual transmissions.”
While this announcement has made the change somewhat more official, keen Mercedes followers will have noticed that very few cars are still available in manual transmissions as it is. In fact, only the A, B and CLA classes continue to be available with a manual option, and only in selected markets.
The entire automotive market could be set to turn automatic-only in coming years for similar reasons to Mercedes, namely the switch to electric vehicles. As the UK makes move to becoming electric-only in the coming years, there has been a surge of EVs on the road and released to the market, and Mercedes are certainly holding their own in this rush. However, with the shift towards this market, more and more cars are utilising a single-speed gear reduction unit, which doesn’t require a clutch or any engagement or disengagement of gears. Without a proper transmission, it isn’t possible to have a manual vehicle and as a result, we could see them phased out across the whole market.
For Mercedes, this move appears to be another step in the brand’s move to become fully electric by 2030, and a natural progression within the changing automotive market. It also works alongside Mercedes’ plan to produce only electric platforms from 2025 in the form of MB.EA for medium to large vehicles, AMG.EA for performance cars and VAN.EA for commercial vehicles, as well as a new MMA platform for small vehicles, however, these may still offer combustion options for now.
Here at DDR Surrey, we will continue to offer servicing and support for manual transmission vehicles. If you are in need of repairs or a Mercedes service, all you have to do is book your car in with our team for a time and day that suits you.
