Why does the majority of cars in USA have automatic transmissions while European cars have manual?

Question

Cars with automatic transmissions have certain benefits (easier to drive) and cars with manual transmissions have other benefits (cheaper to purchase and repair and uses less petrol).

I wonder why the majority of cars in USA have automatic transmissions, while the majority in Europe have manual (driving with a "stick").
Any historical or other explanations why it is like that?

Answer 1

Indroduction: I am italian but I learned how to drive in U.S. and I never understood a thing about manuals and their "whys" but I moved back to Italy and now I do drive stick.

First of all, europeans are really skeptical about automatic and they find it "complicated" (I know it sounds weird but it is true) and they think people which drive that are just lazy.

Second, a manual car will get a lot better performance, driving plesure and mileage than an automatic and considering that petrol price is 8.50 $ per gallon the engines are very small( there are no here V8s and just some V6s) so driving stick is also a necessity in order to get the best out of the car.

Third manuals are indeed cheaper. No further explenation.

Finally, europeans don't see why a machine should change for them and also the fact of always have to change gears keeps people more focus while driving (something essential here since roads are very narrow and twisty) because no distractions are allowed.

At the beginning I didn t get that either but here it does make sense and I wouldn t go back to automatic because I just love it even if they gave me a car with tiptronic, like the Mercedes C klass that I had in US I wouldn t "shift" back.

Ciao

Answer 2

The same reason why we Americans like to buy new Tahoe's and the car manufacters are making cars heavier and heavier. Honda civics used to be under 2000 pounds and get 40+ MPG easy with old carburator and early fuel injection. Now they are over 2500 pounds. Imagine with the engine technology would be if they made cars with the old weight and dementions, with todays areodynamics and engine technology! People with money enougth to buy new cars, prefer luxury over practicality. Auto transmissions are more convienient than manuals. Europe is more cramped. People don't spend as much time in cars, because the travel less. Gas is at least double there, so manual is prefered.

Unfortunatly it is the rich who are the ones who can buy new cars, so thats the ones making the desisions, which the car manufactures aim to please.

Answer 3

Us here in america are lazy and dont' have time to play with sticks... (J/K) I would think a lot of it comes down to the fact that it's what more people are comforable with here in the states. Personally I purchase an automatic because I have partal paralisis in my left leg and can not operate a clutch correctly anymore.

Answer 4

I think it is that the price of gas/petrol in Europe is 3 to 4 times what it is in the US.

Answer 5

Automatic Transmissions are standard equipment on American cars, American Muscle cars are almost always stick shift for "Sport" reasons, also driving a stick shift in area's like "L.A. or NY" would be an ankel breaker in traffic.