People Just Aren't Buying Manual Jaguar F-Types
When Jaguar launched a manual version of the F-Type a few years ago, it came as something of a surprise. For sports cars, automatic transmissions tend to reign supreme in terms of sales, so it was commendable for a comparatively small company like Jaguar to put a stick in its flagship coupe and convertible.
Unfortunately, though, the manual Fs have not been able to buck the sales trend. The word from the US automotive media is the car is no more in the country, following low sales. Having snagged a mere four per cent of overall F-Type sales since launch (according to Car and Driver), the six-speed F-Type appears to be absent from the 2020 model year range.
Jaguar UK wasn’t able to confirm the death of the F-Type manual in the USA when contacted by Car Throttle, referring to the apparent demise as “speculation - which we do not comment on”. But we have been told that the car is still for sale in the UK, and sure enough, it can be selected on the UK configurator. On the US version, only automatics are present at the time of writing.
UK take-up on the six-speed F-Type has been similarly low at “less than five per cent,” Jaguar also told us. A British sports car with a six-cylinder engine and a manual ‘box may be regarded by us petrolheads as a match made in heaven, but it seems few of the people actually walking into showrooms agree.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Makes sense, as the f type is more of a sports gt than an out and out sportscar. Still sad though :(
Wasn’t the manual not very good anyways?
It was merely ‘OK’. Not bad, but poor compared to something like the six-speed in a Cayman. Seem to remember the clutch was overly springy but it has been about three years since I drove one
People: stops buying manuals
Manufacturer: kills manual option
People: “YO, WTF? WE WANT MANUALS! #SaveTheManuals!!11!1!!”
People: won’t buy manuals
Manufacturer: kills manual option
People: “how am i supposed to buy something if it’s not available!???”
Yeah the circlejerk is strong with that one
That’s probably because enthusiasts can’t afford one and therefore they’re all bought by rich people that only care about which emblem sits on the bonnet of their cars
Enthusiast don’t make companies money.
Also it is just a label to say: “hey I know more than you”
Erm.. if 4% of F-Types sold in the US were manuals and roughly 4% of all auto sales in the US total are manuals I fail to see how this is an issue? What did they expect?? Haha, MORE than the national average?
… I’d only have it if I could have the manual.
People aren’t buying F-types period and when the manual is offered on the slower model of course many people won’t opt for it.
The argument; “Enthusiasts aren’t buying the cars and that is why manual is dying” is a bit old and to be real, just not true.
Real enthusiasts don’t make them dollars for companies to run, so they have to appease the majority of sales in order to continue make money.
It is a shame for sure, but in the end, with cities growing and with more jobs being inside cities, manuals aren’t an option for people who actually run their cars everyday.
And for those who just go for weekend runs, if you talk with the company when buying a car, you might be able to get whatever you want.
Well said.
I can guarantee you, when the time will come, the manual F type will rise in value because of this, it’ll become a rare gem.
^ This
They will be the unicorns and most sought after F-types in 20 years time. Invest wisely, people.
Give me a manual British-made roadster in the same league as the Mazda MX5 or Fiat 124 (Perhaps a new MGA) for ~£25,000 and I’ll snap your hand off… but I can’t afford the Jag.
This is the very reason why in the near future, when the F type goes out of production, the rare manual one will become a genuine classic British sports car and will go up in value, a bit like how manual Ferraris with gated shifters are worth a lot nowadays.
bRiTiSh ReLiAbLiTy
a. cars these days suck. no manual
b. makes manual
a. car these days too expensive, not buying manual
b. make no more manual
a. so sad, no more manual