I love manual transmissions. If this car ever comes state side, you bet that I’m at least going to test-drive it. No promises on actually buying it however, I still feel like practicality is king.

But I think gears are an obvious way to improve performance of motors, and I’m well accustomed to driving manual right now. So I might as well take advantage of my skills to get a better performing and/or cheaper car in the long run.

But only that: if its practical. I’m not one to buy a manual transmission just for fun. I do it because its cheaper to produce and cheaper to maintain.

EDIT:

“We also changed the control program of the electric motor,” another engineer, Tatsuya Iwamura, tells us before we go out on the Shimoyama test track. “You will feel like you are driving a car with a manual transmission.”

Coupled with artificial engine noise delivered through the car speakers, it replicates the experience of driving an ICE car in an EV—and it does this so well you might forget what’s under your hood.

Yeah, not liking it. Lol. But hey, maybe I can dream of a real manual transmission controlling a 2-gear or 3-gear EV in the future.