Petition to save Audi manual transmissions in USA
08-20-2018, 10:41 PM
#1
Petition to save Audi manual transmissions in USA
Hi everyone. I found there was a petition floating around to save the Audi manuals in USA. Audi announced that it wants to cut manuals from 2019 models in the US, but I've seen many of us on these forums own one. I personally own one and really love it. Anyways thought I'd put it here in case anyone is interested in signing.
I also recommend contacting Audi to tell them that a manual really matters to you for your next Audi. Otherwise us manual lovers would have to go for BMW or another brand, which most of us here don't want to. Audi makes great manual transmissions as well.
Petition link: https://www.change.org/p/audi-usa-sa...audi-a4-and-a5
Not sure how much impact it will have, but in the past some brands like BMW, Jaguar, and Porsche did bring certain manual transmission vehicles back due to strong backlash when they dropped the manual option. So always worth a shot.
I also recommend contacting Audi to tell them that a manual really matters to you for your next Audi. Otherwise us manual lovers would have to go for BMW or another brand, which most of us here don't want to. Audi makes great manual transmissions as well.
Petition link: https://www.change.org/p/audi-usa-sa...audi-a4-and-a5
Not sure how much impact it will have, but in the past some brands like BMW, Jaguar, and Porsche did bring certain manual transmission vehicles back due to strong backlash when they dropped the manual option. So always worth a shot.
Last edited by robertdavidlee; 08-20-2018 at 11:18 PM.
08-21-2018, 02:17 AM
#2
This will not change anything. The decision is already made. Given that less than 5% of the A4/A5 market in the US was for a manual, it makes absolutely no financial sense to continue to offer them here. The cost to certify/federalize them outweighs any profit made from selling them here.
08-21-2018, 06:57 AM
#4
This will not change anything. The decision is already made. Given that less than 5% of the A4/A5 market in the US was for a manual, it makes absolutely no financial sense to continue to offer them here. The cost to certify/federalize them outweighs any profit made from selling them here.
This article points out A4 is 6% and A5 is 10%. But even if we assume 5%, there are cars with lower take rates that still offer a manual transmission. I believe the take rates were around the same for the b8.5 generation too, but Audi still brought the manuals for the b9 for 2017 and 2018. They were sold as a no cost option too, rather than for $1000 less. Lastly, do cars need to be certified or federalized every single year? Somewhere I remember it was once every generation or something. Typically dropping a manual model within the same generation is not too common.
08-21-2018, 08:43 AM
#5
The best petition would have been a larger number of Audi buyers over the last few years opting to get the standard transmission. It seems to me Audi buyers have voted on this issue with their leases and purchases. Even so, I hope the petition succeeds so those who still really want to shift for themselves have that option. Perhaps Audi should charge a premium for the standard transmission - if I really wanted one I'd gladly pay a few thousand more bucks for it. Instead of calling it a "standard" transmission perhaps thinking of it as an optional "performance sport" option could give the manual stick a desirability boost.
08-21-2018, 09:01 AM
#6
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I hope the petition succeeds. Especially, if Audi is told they will lose us to BMW or upcoming Genesis G70. I think they will hear us. I have signed the petition and requesting others to sign as well.
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08-21-2018, 09:43 AM
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08-21-2018, 09:47 AM
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08-21-2018, 10:06 AM
#10
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https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2018-audi-a4-20t-quattro-manual-labor-of-love-test-review
This article points out A4 is 6% and A5 is 10%. But even if we assume 5%, there are cars with lower take rates that still offer a manual transmission. I believe the take rates were around the same for the b8.5 generation too, but Audi still brought the manuals for the b9 for 2017 and 2018. They were sold as a no cost option too, rather than for $1000 less. Lastly, do cars need to be certified or federalized every single year? Somewhere I remember it was once every generation or something. Typically dropping a manual model within the same generation is not too common.
This article points out A4 is 6% and A5 is 10%. But even if we assume 5%, there are cars with lower take rates that still offer a manual transmission. I believe the take rates were around the same for the b8.5 generation too, but Audi still brought the manuals for the b9 for 2017 and 2018. They were sold as a no cost option too, rather than for $1000 less. Lastly, do cars need to be certified or federalized every single year? Somewhere I remember it was once every generation or something. Typically dropping a manual model within the same generation is not too common.
the take rates being so low, over the years is the exact reason why they've been dropped
Yes, cars need to be federalized for every model year change, even if the car itself did not change
demand simply is not there, and has not been there for ages.