Mercedes-Benz Ditches Manual Transmission Cars
» Posted November 16, 2020 • Resources | Share This Post
It is the end of an era for Mercedes-Benz, as the German auto giant recently announced that it is ditching the stick shift.
Mercedes-Benz is eliminating manual transmission cars from its lineup of new vehicles, The Drive reports. The move, which comes about nine years after the company last made a manual vehicle available for sale in the U.S., is part of broader cost-cutting measures.
Mercedes-Benz also plans a "substantial reduction in platforms," according to a Tweet from auto journalist Greg Kable, and a "very dramatic reduction in combustion engines."
A Mercedes spokesperson told The Drive that the company will phase manual transmission vehicles out of its European lineup over time. The publication points out that the shift away from stick shift coincides with a move toward fully electric vehicles, which require automatic transmissions.
The announcement came just weeks before Mercedes-Benz announced that it was taking a larger ownership share in British luxury sports car manufacturer Aston Martin. Mercedes-Benz is upping its stake from nearly 3 percent of the company to as much as 20 percent, according to CNN.
Understanding Car Defects and Your Legal Rights in California
Mercedes-Benz has one of the better track records for building safe cars. Still the company - combined with the other major auto manufacturers - recalls millions of vehicles per year because of serious defects.
Earlier this year, for example, the company recalled approximately 750,000 vehicles because of a sunroof defect that could cause glass panes to detach, putting everyone else on the road with the defective vehicles at risk of a crash.
The company in 2018 recalled some 100,000 vehicles whose passenger airbag lights show that the safety device is on when it actually hasn’t been activated. That defect increased the risk of injury in the event of a crash, according to Mercedes-Benz.
Fortunately for Mercedes-Benz and other car owners in California, the state’s lemon law offers you some important protections. The Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act requires car manufacturers to perform various repairs on vehicles while they are under warranty. It also forces manufacturers to buy back or replace cars that the company cannot or will not fix.
The law does not specify the number of repair requests or attempts that must be made before the buyback or replace requirement kicks in. It does, however, make it easy to get legal advice by forcing the manufacturer to pay any legal fees that a car owner or lessor incurs enforcing his or her rights.
What a California Lemon Law Attorney Can Do For You
If you have been stuck with a defective Mercedes-Benz or another vehicle, a California lemon law attorney may be able to help.
California lemon law attorney Brian Bickel and his team at the Bickel Law Firm have represented hundreds of clients in defective vehicle cases in Southern California and across the state. We work tirelessly to get the people we represent the compensation they deserve by ensuring that auto manufacturers are made accountable.
Our offices are conveniently located in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. Call us at (888) 800-1983 or contact us online to speak with a California lemon law attorney today.
