Mercedes-Benz is gearing up to bid farewell to manual transmissions. According to a report from the German publication Automobilwoche, Mercedes-Benz will gradually phase out the production of vehicles with manual transmissions starting in 2023.
“With the increasing electrification, we see that customer demand is shifting towards components of electric mobility, batteries, and (partially) electric propulsion systems,” stated a spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz to Automobilwoche.
This move doesn’t come as a surprise, as in 2020, Mercedes-Benz’s current Chief Technology Officer (CTO) mentioned that the German automaker is eliminating manual transmissions from its lineup. However, a timeline was not provided at that time.
Although it might seem surprising, Mercedes-Benz has been largely automatic for quite some time.
Currently, the only Mercedes-Benz vehicle available locally with a manual transmission is the Vito commercial van.
The four Vito variants with manual equipment use a smaller 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine instead of the 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which is paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission.
The larger Sprinter commercial van lost its manual transmission in 2021, and the X-Class ute was discontinued in 2020.
The last Mercedes-Benz passenger car offered with a manual transmission locally was the entry-level SLC180 convertible in 2018.
However, there are still several A-Class, B-Class, and CLA models available with manual transmissions in other markets.
It’s fitting that Mercedes-Benz is phasing out manuals, as it has previously committed to being fully electric by 2030 where market conditions allow.
According to the luxury car manufacturer, all its new platforms from 2025 onward will be solely electric.
These include MB.EA for all medium and large vehicles, AMG.EA for high-performance cars, and VAN.EA for commercial vehicles.
Before that 2025 deadline, Mercedes-Benz will introduce a new platform called MMA for smaller vehicles, which may still offer the option of combustion engines.
