According to Ford Motor Company, the number of cars and multi-purpose vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions that it sells in Europe has more than tripled over the past three years. Automatic transmissions accounted for 10% of Ford's European sales in 2017. That figure tripled to 31% in early 2020 and is expected to continue rising steadily. The United Kingdom has seen the same trend, with nearly 40% of all vehicle sales having automatic transmissions in 2017, up from just 25% five years earlier. The U.S. is firmly in the automatic camp, with only 2% of all vehicles sold having manual transmission. While drivers have traditionally preferred to shift their own gears, consumers are increasingly demanding on-road comfort, access to safety features, such as adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, and advanced parking assistance - none of these features work with traditional manual transmissions. There is also the ever-increasing desire for improved fuel economy. All of these factors are good for the environment, road safety, and good for the filtration industry, as advanced automatic transmissions need good filters.
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