Toyota’s new electric vehicles may come with fake manual transmissions

• Future Toyota electric vehicles may include simulated manual transmissions.
• The new models will even simulate the experience of the car stuttering if the drivers mess up.
• Drivers can choose to disable these features if reverting to manual is too daunting.

Toyota̵[ads1]7;s future EVs may come with an extra hit of nostalgia for seasoned drivers: a fake manual transmission.

The feature will allow drivers to simulate a manual transmission through a fake clutch that will send signals to the engine that create the feeling of shifting gears, according to a May 2023 patent report filed by Toyota and obtained by CNN.

These models will include a clutch pedal and even simulate downshifting, allowing drivers to slow the vehicle by using the transmission instead of the brake, according to CNN.

Those who never learned to drive a manual car will even be able to experience the initial terror of making a mistake. The cars will simulate the consequences of using the clutch poorly, CNN reports, with the models programmed to jerk and jerk if drivers shift into the wrong gear. However, it won’t stop, saving new drivers the awkward moment of being stuck in the middle of an intersection.

The addition appears to be strictly fanfare, with CNN even calling the move “just for fun.” The fake manual transmission will actually serve no functional purpose. Drivers will also have the option to disable the feature entirely.

But these potential future models could appeal to drivers interested in an extra hit of nostalgia every time they get behind the wheel – or perhaps those interested in making the driving experience feel less electronic and more mechanical.

Toyota did not respond to requests for comment prior to publication about which future models may include this feature, or whether the simulated clutch will result in a cost increase for consumers.