Key Takeaways
A clear split, but not the same kind of split
Mexico (North America) shows a stronger tilt toward automatic gearboxes in recent new-car buying, while the Netherlands (Europe) still has a mostly manual passenger-car fleet on the road.
The “road” and the “showroom” can disagree
In the Netherlands (Europe), new-car buying moved toward automatics years ago, yet the cars already registered and driving daily remained mostly manual well into the mid-twenty-twenties.
Modern tech quietly boosts “automatic”
Electric vehicles, hybrids, continuously variable transmissions, and dual-clutch transmissions all push the automatic share up, even when drivers think of “automatic” as one simple thing.
Story & Details
The observation that feels true in daily life
A driver in Mexico (North America) often meets automatic cars in traffic, in ride-hailing, and in new-car offers, especially in city driving. A driver in the Netherlands (Europe) can still step into many cars that shift by hand, especially older and smaller models that have stayed in use for years.
A usable definition for “cars on the road”
In everyday language, “cars on the road” can mean the passenger-car fleet: vehicles registered for use and present in daily traffic at a point in time. It can also mean the new-car stream: the mix of transmissions in vehicles being bought right now. Both are real. They can point in different directions.
Numbers that anchor the contrast in the same calendar year
In Mexico (North America), JATO Dynamics data reported in local automotive coverage shows that in two thousand twenty the automatic share in new-vehicle sales led manuals by about seven percentage points, after a roughly even split in two thousand nineteen.
In the Netherlands (Europe), the passenger-car fleet in two thousand twenty was still strongly manual: about seventy-two percent of registered passenger cars had a manual gearbox, with the count reported in the millions.
Why Mexico (North America) leans automatic in new buying
Comfort matters more in heavy traffic and stop-and-go driving. Automatic driving feels simpler when the footwork never ends. Financing and product planning also matter: as crossovers and sport utility vehicles grow in popularity, automatics tend to be the default, and “manual available” often disappears from the order sheet. When more buyers move into those segments, the market mix changes quickly.
Why the Netherlands (Europe) stays manual on the road, even as new cars change
The Netherlands (Europe) is a case of momentum. For decades, manuals were common, cheaper, and normal in driving lessons and everyday cars. That history still sits in the fleet. Cars last many years, so a manual-heavy past keeps showing up in today’s traffic.
At the same time, new registrations shifted hard toward automatics as hybrids and electric vehicles grew, and as tax rules and efficiency targets made newer powertrains more attractive. New cars can flip faster than the fleet can.
A short Dutch mini-lesson for real-world car talk
“Handgeschakeld” is the everyday word for a manual gearbox. “Automaat” is the everyday word for an automatic.
“Een auto met handgeschakelde versnellingsbak”
Simple use: a manual-gearbox car.
Word-by-word: een = a, auto = car, met = with, handgeschakelde = hand-shifted, versnellingsbak = gearbox.
“Een auto met automaat”
Simple use: an automatic car.
Word-by-word: een = a, auto = car, met = with, automaat = automatic gearbox.
Where the alphabet soup fits: CVT, DCT, EV, SUVs
A continuously variable transmission is an automatic transmission that changes ratios smoothly rather than stepping through gears. A dual-clutch transmission is also an automatic, even if it can feel sharp and fast like a manual. An electric vehicle usually has no multi-gear shifting at all, yet it is counted with automatics in many statistics. Sport utility vehicles are a body style, not a gearbox, but they often come paired with automatic-only trim lines, so rising SUV share can raise automatic share without drivers noticing why.
Conclusions
The core idea holds, with one important nuance
Mexico (North America) has been buying more automatics than manuals in recent years, and the gap became visible in two thousand twenty. The Netherlands (Europe) still showed a manual-heavy passenger-car fleet in two thousand twenty, even while its new-car market was already turning automatic.
Put simply: Mexico’s tilt shows up strongly in what gets bought now; the Netherlands’ tilt shows up strongly in what is still driving around.
Selected References
[1] https://www.autoweek.nl/autonieuws/artikel/handbak-onderweg-naar-de-uitgang-minder-dan-60-procent-autos-in-nederland-heeft-er-nog-een/
[2] https://www.bovag.nl/pers/persberichten/meerderheid-nieuwe-personenautos-heeft-een-automat
[3] https://www.motorpasion.com.mx/industria/autos-manuales-vs-automaticos-ventas-mexico
[4] https://oem.com.mx/elsoldelalaguna/finanzas/los-estadounidenses-manejan-mas-en-automatico-que-en-trasmision-manual-por-que-18723263
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygkRuwCpKxU
Appendix
Automatic transmission
A gearbox that changes ratios without the driver using a clutch pedal for every gear change, often using a torque converter or automated clutches.
Continuously variable transmission
A type of automatic transmission that can vary its ratio smoothly across a range, often improving efficiency and keeping the engine in a useful speed band.
Dual-clutch transmission
A type of automatic transmission that uses two clutches to preselect gears, allowing fast shifts while still being classed as automatic in most market data.
Electric vehicle
A vehicle driven by one or more electric motors, usually without a multi-speed manual gearbox; many data sources group these with automatics for transmission counting.
Manual transmission
A gearbox where the driver selects gears and typically uses a clutch pedal, also called a stick shift in some English-speaking regions.
Predominance
A standard English word meaning the state of being most common or most influential in a given setting; close alternatives are prevalence and dominance.
Proxy
A substitute measure used when the ideal measure is not publicly available; a proxy should be clearly defined and used with care.
Sport utility vehicle
A vehicle body style with a taller ride height and a practical cabin; it is not a transmission type, but its market growth can change transmission shares.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 