Posted by Joe Divito on July 27, 1998 at 12:20:18:
In Reply to: Re: An interesting bit of trivia. posted by Craig Selvey on July 24, 1998 at 22:19:33:
: In all my years, I have only seen one...and I kick myself everyday for not buying that car.
: I would say that it didn't catch on because if you were going to upgrade from the standard 3 speed, why not go all the way and get the automatic? The "Semi-Automatic" probably was more confusing that what it was worth.
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I agree that it would be confusing if you weren't used to the idea. Chrysler (I think BMW has one too) seems to think otherwise. I haven't followed them too closely, but from what I gather, people seem to be a little more receptive to the idea now than they were back then. It is a good idea in theory--give people the control of a stick, but the convenience of not having to use a clutch. I wonder, though, how many people just leave those "Power Sticks" in auto mode after the novelty wears off. I agree, if you're going to go with the automatic (and the performance/economy penalty), you may as well go all the way and let it do the shifting for you too.