Is the manual sport sedan dead? Cadillac doesn't think so!
Cars
Cadillac is bringing back the manual transmission sports sedan with its CT4-V and CT5-V blackwing models, but is it too little too late to revive this segment?
To find out I'm talking to roadshows very own news Czar.
And former Chevy SS owner Sean Szymkowski.
And by the way, if you like what we're doing, we'd appreciate you liking this video and subscribing.
With Cadillac's announcement that its CT4 and CT5 Blackwing would have a manual transmission Effectively affirm the brand's commitment to what many manufacturers are considering a dead or dying segment, the manual transmission sports sedan.
Now do you think that GM is making a wise decision here?
Or will these cars just kind of serve to underline how bad that type of car sells these days?
First and foremost, I think it's A wise decision just because there's always going to be that core audience that wants a manual transmission.
Is it going to be the most popular transmission of the grouping?
No, an automatic or whatever else they throw in there is going to be the most popular transmission.
Transmission but I think if they are truly trying to court the audience they want to buy that car it's very smart to still have a manual transmission.
I mean for decades the manual performance sedan has been And huge.
It loomed large in the hearts of enthusiasts who have always sort of demanded a little bit of practicality with their performance.
As a market segment, it's given us cars like the E39 M5 from BMW, one of my personal faves, and And the Chevy SS which you were previously known these cars have already been lionized by car nerds and yet they struggle to sell what do you think that is I mean if you think that we're gonna start to see more of a resurgence in these kinds of cars yeah I think there is perhaps a shift among car enthusiasts that.
They're looking for a bit of a jack of all trades kind of car, especially in the more affordable part of the market.
You buy a Hot Hatch because it can haul some mulch if you gotta pick it up, but you can still have fun with it on a weekend.
But for cars like the Chevy SS, which I still hold dear to my heart even though it's not in my garage anymore.
Anymore.
Those types of cars I think they almost demand a manual transmission.
I also owned two Pontiac G8's, two big V8's under the hood and every single time I drove it I said man I just wish this had a manual.
And so when SS finally came here I knew I had to have it and I knew I wanted a manual transmission with that just because.
There was nothing like manually shifting with a lumpy VA ahead of me.
It was just so much fun.
As for a resurgence, the head on my shoulders says no, just because I think we're moving in a direction where the number of people who want performance perhaps just want to see the performance whereas With a manual transmission, I could foresee it more just becoming a fun factor thing.
Manually shifting your gears doesn't mean you're faster anymore.
It's perhaps just a thing like I want to have fun and throw others car around And this is just more fun versus paddle shifters on a steering wheel with an automatic.
That's it for this episode of Roadshows Autocomplete I've been Kyle Hyatt.
You've been fantastic and I'd ask you to avail yourself of the comment section and let us know how we're doing and what you'd like us to cover next.
Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, wash your damn hands.
