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We have lots of busy traffic over here. Narrow streets, high populated Areas and still prefer to drive Manual even when the Autobahn is constipated (stop-and-go). Some peaple (women, older People and handicapped People prefer Automatic) You can buy both over here. BMW, Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes produce for exporting to all over the world.
Those are all brands we have over here in the US. But most of the cars they sell here are automatics.
The preference for automatics may tie into Americans preferring "comfortable" cars. I'm reminded of when molded cup holders started appearing in American vehicles in the mid-80s. The German automakers couldn't figure out why Americans wanted them, and they took a long time to start appearing in German-make cars. Now cup holders appear in pretty much every car over here, and not having them is considered an interior design flaw.
I'm a German (male) and live in Munich. But I once lived in the U.S. for a while. In Europe it is unsportive to drive automatic cars. Handicapped People, Taxi Cab Drivers and City Bus Drivers do (it is a Blessing to them). If you make a diving test (Driver's licence) on automatic, your Drivers Licence (in the European Union) will be limited to automatic. Only if you do the test on Manual Transmission it is not. Europeans drive more aggressive (above all Italians and southern french), the streets are narrow in comparison to american streets and so there is much more stress by driving than in North America and we stell prefere Manual Transmission. When I remember America it seems to me Americans want to sleep while driving. Stuffing themselves with Hamburgers while driving they like to do (McDonalds Drive Through). I puzzle over how they treat their health problems without willing to have sufficient public medical insurance.
One of you wrote life standard in big countries in Europe is well beyond the one in the U.S. Do you think the high developped country Germany which is the economical motor of all the E.U. is well beyond U.S. Lifestyle? I never saw so many poor People living in shelters etc. than I did in the U.S.
To avoid wrong Impression, I do not want fo offend anyone of you I just want to express my opinion.
Interestingly enough a few German cars sold here are only available with manual transmissions in the US, and not at home in Germany (the latest round of M series cars from BMW comes to mind). Why do you think that is? And of course, the D class luxury sedans are primarily automatic even at home in Germany (like the S class, 7 series, and A8). Also, Europeans moving to the US often specifically choose larger, automatic equipped cars that they may not normally get (or be able to get) in Europe. Do they suddenly get lazy when they move here, or is it possible that they simply find that they no longer are forced into a small engine, manual trans car and choose luxury?
I had an automatic car one time (Ford Fiesta) here in Southern Germany when I was Livin in the Alps next to the Austrian border. On the mountain streets I felt like a lame duck and you are not able to overtake other cars so I traded it to an Audi A 4 with a Manual. When I was riding the Fiesta after riding a Service car (German Military cars are all manual) I intuitively wanted to step the clutch pedal and so I stepped the break. After this I traded the car to a Manual and I never drove an aut. since then.
So you are comparing a small engine, small car with an auto to a larger, more powerful one with the manual and conclude that it was the manual trans that made the difference? try driving a car liek a BMW 740i Sport with the Steptronic trans, you'd have been able to pass at at any time in that car, and it's way more fun than the A4 you had.
Another why-aren't-Americans-more-like-Europeans? thread. and just in time for the World Cup, we are about to be bombarded with the quadrennial question: why don't Americans like soccer.
As to the question itself, the answer is simple. AT is a luxury option that Europeans apparently can't afford.
Your last statement is just silly. Europeans in general can afford most of what Americans can afford. They have choices for automatic transmissions. They just buy a lot more manual transmission cars that we do.
But not Porsche or Ferrari. Most Porsche cars worldwide now are sold with sophisticated automatics. I bet almost all Jaguars have an automatic.
I know it is an unsimilar comparison. I traded it because this comrade was seeking a small car with automatic and this is hard to get. His girlfriend refused to drive the Audi because her mother had a small car with automatic and he was going to be commanded to Kosovo for 6 months. so he traded the much more valuable car to this and I had a win. Years ago I drove an Opel Ascona with Autom. a few times and I did'nt like the Autom. either. The Ascona was a bigger car. You don't see it anymore on the streets. I don't like Mercedes. Mostly old men drive them and you see them on the Autobahn on the right lane. They are mostly Automatic. BMW I drove one with Manual. This mixed stuff like speedomatic or tiptronic I didn't try because they don't have a clutch pedal. The clutch makes you having better control over the car that it does exactly what you want.
Did you recently try speedomatic? What where your experiences? Maybe I'll go to a car trader and make a test drive. But now I live in a City and I would like to test it on the Alp roads. Since I live in Munich I use more and more the Underground or subway. It's faster because of the constipated streets during the rush hour.
What about Motorcycles? Do they all have automatic too in the U.S.?
How can you *** on the cell phone when you have to shift?
I just saw a man over here eating ice-cream in a cone (not a Cup) he Held in his left Hand, steering (the wheel) and shifting with his right Hand (always changing from wheel to stick).
You are only allow to phone with a Hands-free kit, otherwise you will be ticketed and registered in a database with Points. But many People don't care and risk it. They use the cell phone like I described above.
But I don't eat and drink in my car because it gets all messed up and stainy. I don't allow People to eat.
Coordinate right foot on accelerator, left foot on clutch, left hand on steering wheel, right hand on shifter. Do all of this to match engine rpm with a gear and speed.
I know too many people that can't walk and chew gum at the same time, so I would not expect them to drive a manual trans vehicle. Besides, even if they could, it's too difficult to send a text message.
But wondering how did grandma do it back in the forties, and with no power steering or brakes.
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