Who Wants a Manual Trans?

[sperold]

Ford should want a manual transmission for this car. Even if it turns out to be more expensive than the automatic. The production numbers for manual SHO's in the past were very low, when an automatic was offered. But here is the thing..... how many guys went to the dealership with a standard in mind, only to get cold feet and check the box for automatic? The cold feet came from:
1.) when we drive to Florida, you will have to do all the driving
2.) when you have to let your friend (neighbor, sister, whatever) out of the driveway, you will have to move your car yourself.
3.) no one else will be able to go to the pharmacy when you feel crappy.
4.) what about that resale value? You can only sell it to about 1 in 10 guys.
The excitement of the standard got you into the model lineup, but "cooler heads prevailed". Without the standard, this guy is standing at the BMW dealership, ready to make this mistake. Ford will sell a lot more automatics by having a manual transmission in the lineup. And then there are the few who will actually buy the manual, you definitely cant get them any other way. The premium brands offer manual transmissions, and to get the bragging rights, this car has to have one as well. They won't sell many, but you have to have that option.

 

[SHObill]

No Thanx!

 

[typhoon5000]

Here's the deal Ford has to deal with first and foremost. If Ford isn't going to make a lot of money on it, they can't afford to build it. Even though they are doing better than their cross town rivals, they are still deep in the red. The executives at Ford know this and how to turn it around and back into profit, but it's going to take sacrifice.

Since, as you pointed out, there is VERY little demand for a manual, it doesn't justify spending MILLIONS of dollars that it's required to engineer everything required for it to work in the car. You will probably never make that money back at such a low volume. You have to think about how tight packaging is these days. If you change anything in the design of the car, everything else must follow suit. Example, clutch pedal. IDK whats in that space right now on the 2010 Taurus off of the top of my head, but I'm willing to bet that space under the dash and on the firewall is filled with some kind of module or something that has no where else to package.

Cars today are just too complex to shoehorn in a whole new drivetrain system with little issues. Another example is finding a place for the clutch fluid. Look in the engine compartment of the new SHO and tell me if you can find a spot where it will fit and not get affected by vibrations, heat, dynamic interference with something else, and still being able to be fully serviceable and function. It's not easy, I know.

You also have to then go through all of the CAE and virtual crash testing of the manual version as well as the automatic to make sure it's safe and meets the 5 stars Ford sets to get on all new vehicles. Then you have to do real life crash testing in a lab. Then of course it has to be prototyped and durability tested on the track and in the lab. All of this takes even more time and money to develop.

Don't get me wrong, I would love a manual over an auto in the new SHO anyday, but you have to understand the humongous undertaking and cost it is to add another transmission to a design being developed on an expediated timetable (which the new Taurus was) compared to traditional development time of vehicle programs. Ford's still got a lot of climbing to do before they can make it to level ground and needs to get a firm grip on the market before it can take it's first stride to the top.

edit: Sorry for a bit of a long rant there. I still stand by everything I said, but when I wrote it, it was really more of a rant from things that happend at work yesterday and I was :frantic:.

 

[greengiant]

i'm with him ^^^ i don't think ford has the money to do a low number production like that

 

[Phoenix]

Let it go , it aint gonna happen.

If you want manual , buy a mustang.

 

[PonySHO]

I agree with typhoon5000's assessment of a manual transmission. Ford sometimes builds stuff when they know there will be no profit, but this isn't going to be one of them. I consider the current SHO to be in the spirit of the old Lincoln LSC, a luxury car with a killer engine. The SHO is supposed to be more performance than luxury, but with current resources this is what it is. A personal comment, I believe Ford is doing a fine job rebuilding itself and I also believe once the smoke clears, Ford will be the clear leader in the auto industry.

 

[SHODWN]

There is no need for a Manual trans in this car, the 1 in 5000 people that might buy the car will just have to deal with it. The new trans is outstanding, it rev matches and works just great!

In todays world a 5-6 speed are useless unless you also want the smoke screen, oil slick and ejection seat options.

 

[beefcake]

There is no need for a Manual trans in this car, the 1 in 5000 people that might buy the car will just have to deal with it. The new trans is outstanding, it rev matches and works just great!

In todays world a 5-6 speed are useless unless you also want the smoke screen, oil slick and ejection seat options.

lmao!

 

[Bob Gervais]

There is no need for a Manual trans in this car, the 1 in 5000 people that might buy the car will just have to deal with it. The new trans is outstanding, it rev matches and works just great!

In todays world a 5-6 speed are useless unless you also want the smoke screen, oil slick and ejection seat options.

Fine, but I'd still like to see the LMONP option.

 

[PonySHO]

lmao!

Ditto! It'll be interesting to use the paddle shifter, I've never had the experience. It'll be something to get used to, I'm old school and using a regular manual shift when I'm in the spanking mode is second nature.

 

[stephen newberg]

In todays world a 5-6 speed are useless unless you also want the smoke screen, oil slick and ejection seat options.

LOL! Excellent. Dead on, Kirk.

pax, smn

 

[SHO1]

I'd def be interested in those options, especially the eject seat.

 

[IM Buddy8]

I'd def be interested in those options, especially the eject seat.

I'd have to agree.. that would be one awesome car, especially if it was a 6 speed...

 

[mkaresh]

A manual transmission would make more sense paired with this engine and AWD in the Fusion. Not only is the Fusion a smaller car, but the car is already engineered for a manual tranmission.

Alas, even the N/A 3.5 is only available with an automatic.