Americans baffled after seeing how a 'stick shift' car works

Americans have been left baffled at seeing a viral video about how a manual transmission in the car works – with many admitting they have no clue how to drive a stick shift.

Massimo, known as @Rainmaker1973, recently added a video of the stick shift to his X profile that shows the shift lever and inner mechanics of a Chevrolet Sail. Massimo’s clip has been viewed by more than 440,000 X users in 24 hours.

The feature that was once prominent on all cars, and remains popular in Europe, has been replaced by automatic transmissions in the US. The switch left social media users confused and admitting their ignorance after seeing Massimo’s clip.

‘I feel like most Americans need to see this. A small minority even know how to drive a manual,’ a user named Above the Best wrote.

‘No millennial will ever figure it all out,’ wrote user Ron Star.

Massimo, known as @Rainmaker1973, added a video to his profile that shows the shift lever and interior mechanics of a Chevrolet Sail

The video shows the numbers 1-5 of the video represent the forward gears of a stick shift, while the R is for reverse. The video runs side-by-side with the inner machine parts switching along with the driver.

According to Progressive, ‘higher gears will usually follow the pattern described above: odd-numbered gears on top, even on the bottom, ascending from left to right.’

Lower gears are typically used when the car is moving slower, with the higher gears generating more power.

Stick shifts have been replaced by automatic transmissions today that do this for the driver without needing to switch.

In Europe, stick shifts remain popular, as people are more likely to own higher-end cars, according to Reader’s Digest. Many teens in European nations also learn to drive manuals when they first start, a skill that continues in their lives.

In America, often stick shifts can often be found in coupes or sports cars.

The feature that was once prominent on all cars, and remains popular in Europe, has been replaced by automatic transmissions in the US

Progressive stated that learning to drive a stick shift is not more difficult than driving an automatic. That is in contrast to what many on X said, with one poster admitting their brain would ‘never grasp that’

New Mexico, Oregon, and New York are some of the most popular states where drivers tend to buy manual cars. There are currently more than 240+ stores in America and the states with the least sales include Illinois, Mississippi, and Georgia

Progressive stated that learning to drive a stick shift is not more difficult than driving an automatic. That is in contrast to what many on X said, with one poster admitting their brain would ‘never grasp that.’

Some users managed to explain what the video is for anyone thinking the clip was an instructional video on driving a manual.

‘It doesn’t show how the transmission works. This is just a shifter mechanism that is located at a distance from a gearbox,’ the user wrote.

Others have wrote that they wouldn’t want to drive or even learn how to drive a stick shift.

‘Why use manual when you can use auto? It’s literally better,’ an X user wrote.

Honda Civics are one of the most popular manual vehicles drivers are looking to purchase when opting to drive a car with a stick shift. Videos of drivers showing others how to drive a 2017 Honda Civic are currently online

Ford Mustangs are one of the most popular stick shift vehicles that can be bought as a convertible. The 2024 Ford Mustang is one of the latest models to have a stick shift in all its vehicles

Manual transmissions are far less popular in cars than a generation ago. However, a bright side to manual cars is a drop in price – with manual transmission vehicles being about 5 percent cheaper on CarMax.

The Popular models for manual transmissions include the Honda Civic, Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Jetta.

Out of more than 240 stores in the US, the top states with most manual vehicle sales include New Mexico, Oregon, and New York.

Illinois, Mississippi, and Georgia are among the least popular states for manual car sales.

Transmission sales have seen a decline since 1995, when they amounted to about 25 percent of all CarMax sales, the dealership group said. Today, that figure is less than five percent.

However, the was a slight uptick in 2021 when there was about 2.7 percent to 3 percent of all CarMax sales being manual transmissions – up from a historic low of under 2.5 percent in 2020.