Porsche is one of only a few automakers that wants to keep the manual transmission alive, but even it struggles to keep customers interested. Perhaps that's why the automaker is working on a new type of transmission that combines the best of both worlds of an automatic and a shift-it-yourself manual. CarBuzz discovered a patent filing submitted with the German Patent and Trademark Office back on August 30, 2024. Despite the older application date, the patent was only recently published on March 5, 2026.PorscheThe title of the application describes a "gear selector device for selecting gears of a motor vehicle transmission." Further details in the abstract and photos describe a shifter that includes drive, neutral, and reverse positions, but also numbered gears like you would find on a manual. In other words, it's just like the ESS transmission found in the Koenigsegg CC850. How Does It Work? WIPO Germany If you are familiar with the Koenigsegg ESS gearbox, Porsche's idea isn't dissimilar, but the execution is a little different. Rather than have a gated manual pattern with the usual gears 1–6, reverse, and a D (drive) setting for automatic, the Porsche version instead has two separate zones for the shifter, one with drive (D), reverse (R), and neutral (N), and the other with numbered gears.Both will operate in a shift-by-wire fashion, making it possible to be both automatic and "manual" in one. The description in the patent filing reads as follows:"In the automatic operating mode, the known automatic gears (D, N, R, ...) can be selected by moving a selector lever forward and backward. In the H-pattern operating mode, gear shift stages, i.e., gears of the vehicle transmission, can be selected directly – analogous to a conventional (mechanical) H-pattern – by moving the selector lever forward and backward in combination with moving it left and right." Why This Could Save The Manual Porsche Even with one of the best manual transmissions on the market, Porsche faces an uphill battle to keep them alive. Demand for Porsche manuals is much higher in the US, and our market ordered more of them when it was offered in the 911 GT3. In fact, American buyers helped Porsche create the 992.2 Carrera T, which only comes with a manual.The PDK can handle more power, though, and most owners don't want to make the sacrifice of driving a manual transmission every day. But with this new transmission that can do both, those issues can be solved. Owners can switch to manual mode on a fun road, then put the car back into automatic for traffic. And since the concept is done via shift-by-wire, we imagine it can handle more power than today's manual boxes.There's also the subject of fleet emissions. These aren't currently an issue in the US, but they are globally. Manual transmissions aren't as easily controlled, making it harder to offset fuel economy and emissions rules. But with a shift-by-wire system, Porsche may be able to offer a manual option that can pass European regulations. If Porsche can take this hypercar technology and bring it downmarket, it could be a game changer.Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of production intent.Source: German Patent And Trademark Office