Honda Wants Millennials to Drive Manuals

Millennials need a safe space… to learn how to drive stick. That’s what Honda seems to have concluded. The automaker has launched its Shifting Gears program, designed to teach people how to row through the gears. It’s specifically targeted at younger drivers, who may shun vehicles that don’t do all the work.

Honda thinks that by teaching people how to drive a manual, Millennials and others will enjoy driving more. Having owned several manuals myself and thoroughly enjoying the experience, even in the biggest crap can out of them all, I think this is a great idea.

Currently, Honda is the only full-line brand on the market with a manual transmission available for each gasoline-powered car. Think on that for a moment: Honda is trying to save the manuals more than the rest, at least in theory.

This program launched in California, the biggest automotive market in the U.S. With distracted driving being a huge problem, manual transmissions offer a better way. Plenty of studies have concluded that knowing how to use a stick makes you a better, less-distracted driver. If nothing else, you’ll force your left foot down through thin air before starting a car with an automatic transmission.