Jaguar F-Type Likely to Offer a Manual Transmission

Tata Motors Ltd.'s Jaguar Cars unit plans to bring back the manual transmission at least as an option on the F-Type sports car due next year, Autocar reports.

Global brand director Adrian Hallmark tells the British magazine that sports cars need a manual transmission for "sports credibility." He says Jaguar is pondering a manual gearbox with at least six forward speeds.

Hallmark says Jaguar also might consider a manual option for its XF sport sedan, though not for any of its larger models. Autocar opines that the company is not likely to offer a manual on any model for at least 12 months.

Row-it-yourself enthusiasts are cheering Jaguar's apparent decision. Others, who consider manual shifting a quaint and inefficient artifact of a bygone era, point out that virtually all of today's supercars, including Ferrari's entire lineup, have switched to automatics.