Who Invented The Automatic Transmission & Which Car Was The First To Use It?The rise of the automatic transmission led to a change in automobile manufacturing as more and more drivers chose to leave manual transmission vehicles behind. The convenience and smoother driving experience of automatics became so desired over the years that as of 2025, less than 1% of cars sold in the U.S. are stick-shifts. But when did the automatic transmission begin, and which car was the first to use it?The automatic transmission was invented in 1904 by Thomas Sturtevant of the Sturtevant Mill Company in Boston. Sturtevant saw potential in the new automotive industry and wanted to help his company get ahead of the competition. So he designed and patented a two speed automatic transmission, which he believed could become more complex over time. The two-speed was used in the Sturtevant Automatic Automobile, which was produced the following year, in 1905.But while Sturtevant's idea was ahead of its time, the car wasn't a hit, as the tech wasn't quite where it needed to be. Though similar efforts by other companies would follow, it would be nearly 20 years before the automatic transmission would finally be mass-produced and begin to take over the automotive market. Automatic transmission technology has improved over the yearsThe Sturtevant Mill Company is recognized as the first to design an automatic transmission and use it in a car in 1905. But the car was a failure and while other companies attempted to improve on the idea, it wasn't until many years later when the technology finally began to catch up to the design.Canadian steam engineer Alfred Munro designed and patented a four-speed automatic transmission in 1923. Munro's transmission was later used by General Motors in cars ranging from the Buick to the Cadillac for one year, between 1937 and 1938. But it was GM's Hydra-Matic transmission in 1940 that truly realized the potential of automatic, making it a milestone moment for the American car industry. Eventually, manual transmission would become the exception, rather than the norm.The demand for stick-shifts did increase slightly in the early 2020s, however, with CarMax reporting a sales spike in manual transmission cars. But automatics are still the preferred choice for Americans, thanks in large part to better acceleration and ease of driving. Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google.
