The auto industry is experiencing a huge shift away from manual transmission and now the same traditional feature could be going extinct in the UK: the handbrake. In 2022, it has been found that only 13 percent of new vehicles include it, leaving 9 out of 10 cars sold without this classic piece of car tech. This has many enthusiasts saying "save the manuals", but maybe it's time to change that slogan to "save the handbrakes"!
The manual handbrake is quickly becoming a relic of the past. Companies like BMW and Peugeot in the UK have dropped full lineups that no longer feature this once vital piece of equipment, while Audi maintains its presence on only 1 percent vehicles available there. As some models such as BMW's X1 SUV and M4 convertible now include electronic parking brakes instead, others like PEUGEOT’s 108 city car will soon be completely gone due to discontinuation altogether!
Over the past 5 years, we have observed a rapid decline in manual handbrake offerings available on UK cars. Just five short years ago almost 40% of vehicles came equipped with this traditional feature; however now that figure has fallen to just over one eighth - an alarming 4% decrease since last year alone!
Despite the increased popularity of electronic parking brakes, car manufacturers like Abarth are still ensuring that their vehicles come equipped with manual handbrakes. In addition, certain car models such as the new Ford Mustang have embraced this traditional form of braking by introducing "drift brakes" which use electric motors to stop rear wheel motion while operating manually on demand at a driver's discretion. However, it is important to note that these statistics only reflected those found in Great Britain; so there may be other countries out there where manual handbrakes remain more widely used than e-barking systems!