I have no words :(

[gwalchmai]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/toyota-electric-cars-stick-shift-deliver-wow-experience

Toyota is gearing up to release an electric vehicle that will simulate manual transmission, featuring a faux stick-shift, clutch and even virtual revving sounds.

Electric cars don't change gears and a ‘manual EV’ would be entirely cosmetic. But Toyota is moving forward with the plans to make its driving experience more fun for traditionalists who love combustion engines.

"Alongside the improved cruising range and stylish design, we will offer our customers a truly 'wow!' experience," said Takero Kato, president of Toyota's newly established BEV Factory. 

 

[pipedreams]

Just what is needed.

[minderasr]

I wonder how much extra one would have to pay for this "wow experience"?

[Mrs.Cicero]

That is the stupidest thing I would never spend $ on that I’ve heard of today.  I miss my old REAL stick shift pickup truck…

[tous]

You and I are old enough to remember when automobile manufacturers featured a fake clutch pedal in cars when automatic transmissions became common to comfort the driver.

Well, at least I am.

 

I agree.

This goes beyond stupid.

 

[M&P15T]

There are morons at every company, and Toyota has theirs too. 

[Walt Longmire]

I'll just take a V8 and a 4speed, thank you very much. Oh, Cherry Bomb mufflers behind headers.

[janice6]

3 hours ago, gwalchmai said:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/toyota-electric-cars-stick-shift-deliver-wow-experience

Toyota is gearing up to release an electric vehicle that will simulate manual transmission, featuring a faux stick-shift, clutch and even virtual revving sounds.

Electric cars don't change gears and a ‘manual EV’ would be entirely cosmetic. But Toyota is moving forward with the plans to make its driving experience more fun for traditionalists who love combustion engines.

"Alongside the improved cruising range and stylish design, we will offer our customers a truly 'wow!' experience," said Takero Kato, president of Toyota's newly established BEV Factory. 

 

How "wasted" are we?  Also:  How stupid are we?

[janice6]

3 hours ago, gwalchmai said:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/toyota-electric-cars-stick-shift-deliver-wow-experience

Toyota is gearing up to release an electric vehicle that will simulate manual transmission, featuring a faux stick-shift, clutch and even virtual revving sounds.

Electric cars don't change gears and a ‘manual EV’ would be entirely cosmetic. But Toyota is moving forward with the plans to make its driving experience more fun for traditionalists who love combustion engines.

"Alongside the improved cruising range and stylish design, we will offer our customers a truly 'wow!' experience," said Takero Kato, president of Toyota's newly established BEV Factory. 

 

You can't put lipstick on a Pig and.............  You can't pretend your car is the wrong sex, like you can't pretend you are.

[minderasr]

3 hours ago, tous said:

You and I are old enough to remember when automobile manufacturers featured a fake clutch pedal in cars when automatic transmissions became common to comfort the driver.

Well, at least I am.

 

I agree.

This goes beyond stupid.

 

Way back in the day, I had a 69 VW Beetle that was an automatic shift. The shift was electric too.  So you could put it in gear, then pull on the shifter to electrically pull it out of gear, rev the engine and release the shifter and jump off the line...well as fast as a beetle was capable of.

[Valmet]

4 hours ago, M&P15T said:

There are morons at every company, and Toyota has theirs too. 

And some folks will buy absolutely anything. 

[gwalchmai]

There was once a holy shrine to automotive DIY. Whitney, it was. JC Whitney... My buddy Jim got a set of their "BLAT - BLAT" mufflers for his VW. He was the talk of the town.

[minervadoe]

That's like when cake makers developed mixes that only required people to add water.  They later developed a similar product that required people to crack an egg and mix it in so they would feel like they were somewhat competent and somehow contributing.

 

[DAKA]

8 minutes ago, gwalchmai said:

There was once a holy shrine to automotive DIY. Whitney, it was. JC Whitney... My buddy Jim got a set of their "BLAT - BLAT" mufflers for his VW. He was the talk of the town.

It was J C Whitney  /  Warshawsky wasn;t it

[jmohme]

Earlier this year or maybe last year ,didn't the CEO of Toyota speak publicly about how EVs were not a good idea?

 

BTW, There is no reason you could not put a transmission behind and electric motor. It is not at all a new idea. But a fake one is just kind of lame.

[tous]

1 hour ago, gwalchmai said:

There was once a holy shrine to automotive DIY. Whitney, it was. JC Whitney... My buddy Jim got a set of their "BLAT - BLAT" mufflers for his VW. He was the talk of the town.

I confess to a few (or more)  J.C. Whitney purchases in my callow youth.

I used to really look forward to the catalogues.

 

[Batesmotel]

JC Whitney was the best. 

[Batesmotel]

1 hour ago, Valmet said:

And some folks will buy absolutely anything. 

Same country that is building sex robots. 

[tous]

5 hours ago, minderasr said:

Way back in the day, I had a 69 VW Beetle that was an automatic shift. The shift was electric too.  So you could put it in gear, then pull on the shifter to electrically pull it out of gear, rev the engine and release the shifter and jump off the line...well as fast as a beetle was capable of.

That was less an automatic transmission and more a clutch substitute.

Same transmission, but you activated an electric clutch rather than the traditional pedal and cable.

The clutch activated when you put your hand on the gearshift via a micro switch in the knob and you changed up or down as needed, removed your hand and the clutch engaged.

Porsche used that same idea in their Sportamatic and Tiptronic drive trains.

I think I remember that accurately.

I never had to work on them but many mechanics I knew said that they were a bitch to diagnose and repair much less maintain.

[Valmet]

@Batesmotel 

“You people are a circus” 🤣

[janice6]

5 hours ago, minervadoe said:

That's like when cake makers developed mixes that only required people to add water.  They later developed a similar product that required people to crack an egg and mix it in so they would feel like they were somewhat competent and somehow contributing.

 

I now take that mix and simply add a pop of whatever flavor I want to the mix with nothing else, and bake it.  the cake is great and you can modify the taste slightly with the flavor of pop used.

[tous]

4 hours ago, Batesmotel said:

JC Whitney was the best. 

I well remember, and not fondly, that  barefoot design everywhere used for everything.

If I remember, there was a company called Hang Ten responsible for much of it.

A trend that finally died a well-deserved death.

[Fog]

5 hours ago, Batesmotel said:

Same country that is building sex robots. 

Reving sounds and a shifter on your sex robot might be kinda nice.

[tous]

Makes one wonder if they should be investing in life-like vinyl materials.

[gwalchmai]

9 hours ago, janice6 said:

I now take that mix and simply add a pop of whatever flavor I want to the mix with nothing else, and bake it.  the cake is great and you can modify the taste slightly with the flavor of pop used.

You know, the Hamburger part of Hamburger Helper is just one suggestion. Not the only one. Heck, not even the first one...