Lexus: We're Working on an Electric Manual Transmission

Nov 14, 2023

There's an age-old ritual argument among driving enthusiasts, and Lexus is about to throw fresh wood on its fire. We can't wait.

The cycle is simple to understand: An automaker introduces a new technology, some new buyers fall in love with it, and old car lovers insist it doesn't feel like the real thing.

It happened with power steering. When everyone got used to the feel of pneumatic power steering, the argument moved on to electric power steering. We’ve even heard folks argue over drum vs. disc brakes.

These days, it tends to revolve around electric powertrains.

Some enthusiasts love the immediate torque of electric cars. Some insist they feel wrong.

Related: Jeep Magneto – An EV With a Manual Transmission

Never mind that the quickest gas-powered cars are half-electric vehicles (EVs) these days, with electric power steering and even sometimes brake-by-wire systems. There's a romance to the smell of gasoline and the knowledge that what's happening under the hood is humanity's first technology – fire.

Some insist that anything newer feels wrong.

Others just outrun them with lightning under the control of their right foot instead.

If there's one thing electric cars don't have, though, it's the visceral feeling of control you get from using all four limbs to drive. Manual transmissions remain the exclusive province of gas-powered cars.

Lexus engineers get that.

"There is nothing more engaging for a passionate driver than to be able to shift gears with the right amount of torque at the right time," says Takashi Watanabe, chief engineer of Lexus Electrified.

So, they’re bringing that feeling to electric cars.

It started as a simple experiment, Watanabe says.

Overseas, Lexus sells an all-electric version of its UX small SUV (in the states, we only get hybrid versions). Engineers designed a software-controlled simulation of a manual transmission into it, complete with third pedal, shift knob, and tachometer.

"It gave us so much fun," Watanabe told a press conference in Europe this week, "that this project is now under serious development and might actually be on some of our future EVs."

Yes, it's a software-controlled simulation. But Lexus engineers are gearheads as in love with the feel of a firm clutch as anyone who's ever bemoaned the fading prominence of the stick shift in America.

They made it feel so authentic that you can stall it. "The driver is able to experience all the sensations of a manual transmission, including the possibility to stall or to roll back on a hill start if the clutch is not engaged," Watanabe says. From the outside, it's as quiet as any EV. But on the inside, sound cues help you know when to shift.

"The only element we did not include is the smell," he says – perhaps a welcome omission for anyone who's ever shown up in a car smelling like burned clutch and shame.

Since it's software-based, Watanabe says, drivers can even select their favorite mapping for shift points. Prefer a heavy clutch and early redline like it's 1972? Pick that. Want the feel of a manual but no leg cramps and the more forgiving peak of a modern Euro sport sedan? It's up to you.

When will the system make its way into a production car? Watanabe can't say. "But I can confirm that we are working on it," he says.

As he explained the system, he stood in front of the recent Lexus Electrified Sport Concept (pictures) — a design study rumored to presage a replacement for the LFA – one of 17 EVs Toyota teased last year.

When it gets here, we’re sure it will launch a thousand scoffs.

But it could also combine the mind-melting acceleration of an electric performance car with the sense of control you can only get from a stick. Timing shifts to keep up with the off-the-line speed of an EV will challenge the best drivers.

It's gonna be fun.

See how the latest models measure up based on expert ratings from our Kelley Blue Book editors. See all Best EV Rankings.

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