The manual transmission has been a staple of the automobile for over a century, though modern automatic units that are more fluid and efficient have proven to be its undoing. Enthusiast drivers tend to be the only audience that remains for them, given the delicate dance between selecting the correct gear and using the clutch alongside the gas and brake pedals affords more engagement than an equivalent auto transmission.It gets even worse when you consider an electric vehicle, which doesn't even have an auto that boasts selectable gears. They use a single-speed unit, which means all the driver has to do is essentially hit the gas pedal, with no manual control possible. For manual enjoyers, this is pretty much the definition of hell. Fortunately, a selection of manufacturers have decided to deal with this problem, and ensure traditionalists can better enjoy their potential future EV on the road. Koenigsegg Has Led The Way When It Comes To Simulated Manuals Máté Petrány/CarBuzz/Valnet Manufacturers have accepted that offering both an automatic and manual gearbox in their ranges is untenable, simply because not enough people buy examples of the latter to justify offering the option on each car. To get around this, automatic gearboxes that can simulate a traditional manual have started to crop up, though most aren't yet available in the public arena. Koenigsegg was the first marque to kick off this movement, with its Engage Shift System.While essentially taking the shape of a standard nine-speed automatic transmission, it also comes with the option to run it as a six-speed manual gearbox. And that doesn't just mean an H-pattern that is essentially a showpiece, as this comes with a proper clutch pedal to ensure it feels like the real deal. The Brand's Automatic Gearbox Can Skip Gears Koenigsegg The project got off the ground due to Koenigsegg developing an automatic gearbox that could shift at the speed of light due to having a total of seven clutches, which meant three gears could essentially be lined up at the same time. In addition, the gearbox's nine gears could be skipped at will, which gave the brand the idea of designing a form of manual mode alongside the standard auto functionality. Since each of the nine gears used a different gear ratio, Koenigsegg developed a system where each driving mode could utilize a different range of gears to suit a range of situations. How Koengsegg's Unusual Transmission Works A total of seven clutches allows up to three gears at a time to be primed, allowing for gears to be skipped, unlike a traditional auto transmission. The manual setup can use any six of the total nine gears available. Different ratios can be used depending on which driving mode you select. Gearbox software simulates clutch bite, and can keep an eye on the engine torque profile to know whether to stall the engine or not. This software also stops you from shifting gears if you haven't properly engaged the clutch. As an example, selecting Track-mode means first gear will use the same ratio as third, which allows the car to reach a standard pit speed limiter velocity without shifting gears. Alongside the advanced internals, Koenigsegg provided the vehicle with a proper manual shifter, as well as a clutch pedal. The position of said pedal is fed into the car's computer, which makes the engine behave like a traditional clutch is controlling it. It's possible to stall a Koenigsegg vehicle featuring it in manual mode due to the system being able to alter the powertrain's torque profile to suit, while the computer will stop you from changing gears unless you've properly engaged the clutch. It's an amazing system, though sadly you have to spend upwards of $3.6 million to get a CC850 equipped with one. Toyota Soon Surfaced With Its Own Simulated Manual Toyota Aware that EVs of the future, especially performance-focused ones, would need a niche to stand out amongst the rest, Toyota got to work on developing a simulated manual for its future range of Gazoo-badged performance cars. The marque has always believed in offering a traditionally engaging drive with its sporty offerings, as illustrated by the likes of the GR 86 sports car and GR Corolla hot hatch. Both of these are still available with a six-speed manual transmission from the factory, which goes against the trend of many manufacturers right now.In December 2022, the Japanese giant confirmed that it was developing a form of simulated manual gearbox that would be used on its Gazoo EVs. Its Creation Is Vastly Different To Koenigsegg's Fake Manual Lexus While Koenigsegg's Engage Shift System uses a proper mechanical automatic transmission that can be altered to behave like a manual, Toyota's idea is closer to what you'd expect when hearing the phrase 'simulated manual.' The cars will use the usual single-speed unit you'd expect to find on an EV, though the vehicle's computer uses a range of different torque map profiles to simulate a range of gears to make it feel like you're rowing through the gears on a traditional manual.Alongside a H-pattern arrangement to choose which 'gear' you desire, a clutch pedal is also present. The computer software is developed to allow for a clutch bite point, which can lead to the car 'stalling' or rolling away should you get it wrong. Toyota fitted a development version into a Lexus UX for various automotive media members to try back in 2022, showing the technology wasn't simply a figment of its engineers' imagination.It's unlikely we'll see one in production form until at least 2030, though this timeline could be lengthened further should the pace of EV adoption fail to increase. Subaru Recently Patented A Simulated Manual Of Its Own Subaru The development of other such transmissions has been quiet over the past few years, though Subaru put an end to this after a new patent from the Japanese marque surfaced in early 2026. It sounds strikingly similar to Toyota's own development for the most part, with an H-pattern arrangement being joined by a traditional clutch pedal that uses software to know when the clutch has been engaged properly before it allows you to change gears.What sets Subaru's unit apart is a 'jackrabbit start suppression device', which is designed to force the driver to press the clutch down before starting the vehicle. In a normal manual car, this works by preventing the engine from starting if the vehicle senses that it has been left in gear while parked. Cars without this safety system will jump forward when you try to fire the engine up, and thus force the driver to hold the clutch down when starting, which puts it into neutral and prevents any lurching. Subaru's patent mentions that this process will be needed to start the vehicle every time.Of course, it isn't needed due to Subaru's powertrain lacking any sort of clutch, but this functionality has been developed simply to make the simulated manual feel more realistic. Given the patent has only recently surfaced, don't expect to see a production version of the unit for a while yet. Porsche Is Also Looking To Join The Fake Manual Space Race Porsche/CarBuzz (with AI) Just a couple of months after Subaru's intentions to develop a new simulated manual came to light, Porsche also joined the conversation. Unlike the Japanese contenders though, the performance brand instead looks to be treading down a similar path to that of Koenigsegg, as its patent describes a unit that works as both a traditional six-speed manual H-pattern, as well as an auto transmission. It works a little different to the Koenigsegg creation in that, alongside the usual vertical automatic layout that features D, N, and R gears, you get a full H-pattern configuration too.With this design, you get an H-pattern arrangement, and a simple 'D' selector that puts the gearbox into auto mode. Like with Subaru's offering, there's no timeline for when we could see such a unit featured in a Porsche road car, if at all. We sincerely hope to start seeing more of these gearboxes, as it provides the best of both worlds. When in town settings that throw up consistent stop/start situations, an auto offers a less frustrating and restless experience. Get your car of choice on a fun road though, and the full H-pattern manual mode allows you the engagement of a proper old-school manual car. Perhaps everything will turn out OK for driving enthusiasts, after all.Sources: Koenigsegg, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota.