By Nigel Evans
The manual transmission has been dying a not-so-slow death in recent years, which many people put down to a simple market correction. After all, automatics are now faster and more sophisticated, regulators insist on low emissions, and at the same time, most buyers seem to like the simpler automatic approach, voting with their wallets to make the stick shift an endangered species. Of course, additional developments clearly come into the picture when the machines beneath modern cars stop needing this form of transmission at all. Electric motors don't need multiple ratios, while hybrid drivetrains rely increasingly on planetary gear shifts or eCVTs that do their magic without discrete gear changes.
Internal combustion engines are fighting for credibility with tricks like electronic torque management, throttle by wire, and other driver assist logic. And that's a long way from the once direct relationship between clutch, throttle, and engine speed. All told, the very structure associated with stick shifts is disappearing, and with it the consequences that once defined the very act of driving. But all may not be lost for enthusiasts, as some manufacturers understand their disappointment. OEMs like Kia have some innovative tricks in cars like the EV6 GT, while Subaru is bringing back the idea of shifting not as a mechanical necessity per se but as an experiential feature.
Subaru's Simulated Manual Transmission Is More Than A Gimmick
| 2025 Kia EV6 GT | |
|---|---|
| Motor | Dual electric motors front and rear |
| Transmission | Single-speed reduction gear with software-controlled torque interruption |
| Drivetrain | All-wheel drive |
| Power | 601–641 hp |
| Torque | 545–568 lb-ft |
Subaru has recently patented a vehicle control system that it may use in cars that don't rely on conventional multi-gear transmissions. Here the company could add a clutch pedal and shift lever to the picture once again, but they will now be primary driver interfaces rather than mechanical linkages. They will be driven by sensors, and there will be no gearbox to engage or synchronizers to align as the experience is all driven by software.
Subaru's new approach won't just create artificial shift points or prompt any staged acceleration, but it'll actively govern torque delivery depending on how the driver uses the clutch. Subaru talks about a "jackrabbit start suppression device," which is a feature that will deliberately limit torque if the system detects aggressive or poorly modulated clutch inputs. So, rather than holding a driver's hand, the system will plainly refuse to reward any sloppy technique. If you dump the clutch, the system will restrict the output, and if you rush any engagement, don't expect smooth acceleration. However, you can unlock performance with deliberate and careful inputs, making this a very different type of drivetrain altogether.
Other manufacturers may have proposed simulated shifting systems in the past, but they often skewed towards theatrics. In this case, Subaru is focusing on responsibility, asking a driver to think ahead and co-ordinate their input, and even accept any limitations that are down to their own actions. That's quite similar to how a real manual transmission works but just translated to work in a digital control environment.
Still, this idea represents just a filing on Subaru's part rather than a production announcement. The company hasn't said that it will introduce these features by a certain time or on a specific model, but it's nevertheless fun to think of the possibilities. And remember that Subaru does have a history of investing in driver-focused engineering, even if it's not necessarily the most efficient approach or the most appealing from a mass market perspective. Subaru really likes the idea of driver involvement, and so this filing may yet become a statement of intent.
When You Can't Shift A Transmission, There's A Solution
In modern powertrains, the concept of shifting is fundamentally unnecessary. After all, a single-speed reduction gear works across the entire operating range of the motor, so it can deliver seamless and uninterrupted torque at all times. This is a really elegant and efficient approach from an engineering point of view, but it's certainly abstract from an enthusiast driver's standpoint. After all, when you head off down the road in your EV, acceleration becomes a continuous stream rather than a sequence of events, making mechanical shifting obsolete.
Subaru is looking beyond the obvious. It wants to ask a more interesting question and find out what shifting actually did for a driver, and perhaps the answer here is to provide structure rather than thinking about gear ratios. The clutch may be a permission system instead of a physical assembly and the shifter forces the vehicle to respect the wishes of the pilot.
With this approach, you could say that torque isn't something that the driver simply requests but something that they must earn through correct sequencing. And at the end of the day, a new system like this represents a philosophical shift in engineering engagement. Now, instead of using software to eliminate friction, a company can reintroduce friction intentionally to keep a driver mentally involved in the process, and to turn driving back into more of an art than a transaction.
Other Automakers Are Quietly Rebuilding The Shifting Experience
Subaru is not operating in isolation, and other OEMs may be coming to the same realization. They understand that some drivers look at EV propulsion as boring or uninspiring, which makes these companies think that seamless efficiency alone is not enough. Drivers still need some form of interaction, even in electrified vehicles, and you can see an example of this in the real world today, in the shape of the Kia EV6 GT.
Kia introduced some simulated gear shifts to help define its performance identity, using torque modulation that comes from Hyundai's N Performance division and traces to the Ioniq 5N. The software deliberately interrupts a vehicle's acceleration to create stepped and gear-like behavior and while the drivetrain is still single-speed, you can imagine the car has ratios to restore a sense of rhythm and escalation.
Sources: Patent Office, Kia,
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
