Enthusiasts have been bemoaning the disappearance of manual transmissions as a vehicle option for more than a decade. And now, you can add the 2022 Dodge Challenger Hellcat to the list. It’s no longer offered with a 6-speed manual transmission. While many Dodge Challenger models can be equipped with the stick shift, the Hellcat isn’t among them.
It’s been missing for some time
As it turns out, Dodge removed the Hellcat’s 6-speed manual option from Dodge’s online configurator in late in the 2021 model year. So, if you want a Hellcat and its 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, it will be paired with a TorqueFlight 8-speed automatic transmission.
The company told Road & Track that it was a temporary situation, adding that it would return once a revised calibration for this powertrain combo could be set up. A forum post suggests that the issue revolves around the supercharged V-8 meeting emissions when paired with the 6-speed manual.
The same forum suggests the lack of a Hellcat manual has been an issue for even longer, saying that the company didn’t produce any 6-speed manual Hellcats in 2021, despite their presence on the online configurator.
A temporary situation? Maybe, Maybe not
Company officials say that it’s a temporary situation, although they do not indicate when a manual Hellcat will return. You can still get a Challenger R/T and its 5.7-liter V-8 and a Challenger Scat Pack with its 6.2-liter V-8 mated to a Tremac 6-speed, abut other models make do with the 8-speed automatic.
It’s quite a turn of events for the Challenger whose design is now 14 years old. In 2021, it sold 54,314 units in 2021, more than the Ford Mustang’s 52,414 units. But the lack of a manual on the Hellcat could impact that newfound lead in 2022.
Manuals are a dying breed
The number of cars sold with three pedals has been declining for years. Cars or brands you’d expect to offer a manual transmission, such as a Ferrari, Lotus or Chevrolet Corvette, no longer offer one.
They come equipped with a dual-clutch transmission, an automated manual gearbox that lacks a clutch pedal. Other nameplates have seen their three-pedal models disappear, including the Genesis G70, Hyundai Accent, and Kia Soul. Aston Martin will be leaving the manual behind as well.
In sports cars, the dual clutch transmission has become the gearbox of choice. The dual clutch is an automated manual gearbox that shifts more quickly than a conventional manual transmission while offering automatic shifting convenience in situations where shifting manually is a pain, such as stop-and-go city traffic. And many automatic or dual-clutch gearboxes deliver better fuel economy than a manual, which was once a primary reason to opt for one.
The manual isn’t completely dead — yet
Of the brands that still offer vehicles with manual transmissions in the U.S., Subaru has more nameplates with three pedals than any other brand. In fact, just 37 nameplates are still available with a manual transmission for 2022: the BMW M3 and M4; Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing; Chevrolet Camaro and Spark; Dodge Challenger; Ford Bronco and Mustang; Honda Civic; Hyundai Elantra and Veloster N; Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler; Kia Forte; Mazda 3 and MX-5 Miata; Mini Hardtop, Convertible and Clubman; Mitsubishi Mirage; Nissan Versa and Z; Porsche 718 Boxster, 718 Cayman, and 911; Subaru BRZ, Crosstrek, Impreza, WRX and WRX STI; Toyota GR86, Corolla, and Tacoma; and the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Golf R and Jetta.
If that doesn’t seem like many models, you’re right.
In 2021, new cars with a manual transmission accounted for about 1% of new vehicle sales. In contrast, battery electric vehicles accounted for 3.4% of new vehicle sales, nearly double that of the year before.
As battery electric vehicles displace internal combustion engine vehicles on showroom floors, a result of government regulation, expect manuals to become an increasingly rare commodity. Electric cars require only one gear for each direction – forward and backward.
Consider it a seismic shift towards shiftlessness in the auto industry.