Manual transmissions in 2023: Some are still sticking with it
Over the past 25 years, a combination of driver preference and fuel economy requirements have resulted in a marked decrease in the number of vehicles in the U.S. fleet that come equipped with a manual transmission. One can wax nostalgic for the “car guy” discussions from 40 or 50 years ago that included terms like
Vehicle average age hits record high
The average age of cars and light trucks in the U.S. has risen again this year to a new record of 12.5 years, according to the latest analysis from S&P Global Mobility. The growth is in line with the firm’s prediction from last year that constrained new vehicle sales would continue to impact and put
The transmission repair industry: Globally integrated
I recently read an article reported on the Global Newswire that finds the world’s transmission repair aftermarket is continuing to grow. In that article, the authors found that what was about $188 million global industry was expected to approach $235 million by 2028. There are certainly differences among the various nations in the units in
Can the U.S. electric grid power Electrify America?
As the world becomes increasingly conscious about the environment, electric vehicles are becoming more popular. In 2022, more than 750,000 new all-electric cars were registered in the United States, which was 57% more than in 2021 and 5.6% of the total market. According to a report by the International Energy Agency, the number of electric
Transmission shops are preparing to work on hybrids and EVs
At the beginning of the year, TD polled the industry on a variety of questions related to the transmission work they do. You can see the full results in our State of the Industry report from March. Usually, we ask the same general set of questions each yet in order to get a sense of
EPA proposes new emissions standards to spur transition to electric vehicles
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new federal emissions standards intended to dramatically increase sales of electric vehicles (EVs). The sales would be achieved by reducing multi-pollutant emissions, including greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria pollutants (particulate matter (PM), ozone, nitrogen oxides (NOX) and carbon monoxide (CO) from new light-duty and medium-duty (8,501 to
Vehicle miles traveled rise in early 2023
January 2023 was a good month for travel on the nation’s highways, as Vehicle Miles Traveled rose. As measured by the 12-month moving total, January was up 0.4% from December to 3.181 trillion miles, as shown by the chart below. January 2023’s monthly total was up 5.6% over January 2022, according to the Federal Highway
As cars keep aging, what will the future look like?
We always talk about the average age of a vehicle crossing the 12-year mark. But, I think the more interesting number is the average age of a vehicle that is scrapped. This is a difficult number to obtain due to title laws in the different states, but it has been estimated by some at 22
2023 State of the Powertrain Industry
The Transmission Digest Annual Survey of Retail Shops has served as benchmark and planning tool for the industry now for the past 37 years. Charts and tables in this study are based on a survey that was conducted early this year. Where differences are obvious, we separate the responses of transmission specialty shops from general
Complete TD’s shop survey for a chance to win a gift card
Every year, Transmission Digest conducts the Retail Shop Survey. This survey will take five minutes or less. The results of this survey will appear in the March edition of Transmission Digest e-Powertrain Bulletin, and should serve as a valuable benchmark for your business. Your responses will be kept confidential and reported only in the aggregate.
Hard parts hunting
Image caption: The diagram representing results from the 2022 Transmission Digest survey of retail shops tracks the various sources those shops rely on for acquiring hard parts. The results don’t provide a breakdown of the original source of the parts. Here we show where the order is placed by the rebuilder. Every April we tend
Clean Cars 2030 signed into law in Washington state
Repair shops in Washington state might be facing big changes sooner than they expected, as Governor Jay Inslee recently signed a bill into law setting a date of 2030 for all new cars registered in the state to be electric. The measure, known as Clean Cars 2030, sets the most aggressive state target in the U.S. for