Based on 2008 product offerings and recent announcements of 2009 model-year product details, almost all of the major players in the full-size half-ton pickup-truck market are close to eliminating the manual transmission as standard equipment or as a product option.
For 2009, Chevrolet/GMC, Ford, Toyota, and Nissan won't offer a manual transmission in their half-ton trucks. A stick shift will be available for the Dodge Ram, but only with the six-cylinder V-6. As a stick-shift enthusiast, I find this trend regrettable and shameful. Are most half-ton truck guys so wimpy they can't drive a stick shift? Or can the marketing guys at the truck manufacturers go to market with only automatic transmissions ("slush boxes") in half-ton pickups the same as they have been doing with the full-size truck-based vans (like the Ford E-Series) and get away with it?
Loren Singh
San Jose, California
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Dear Reader,
From what we can tell, the decision to move away from manual transmissions is based purely on economics. Less than 10 percent of people who buy new vehicles in the U.S. purchase manual transmissions, and it costs less for manufacturers to streamline their options. For them to justify multiple transmissions, there has to be a threshold demand for them, and, unfortunately, there just aren't enough man-trans fans out there.
- Truck Trend