Today's car buyers don't really like manual transmissions like they used to, but there is a dedicated enthusiast circle around old-school H-pattern manuals. In fact, only about 1.2% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2022 had a manual gearbox, and as a result of this, fewer than 30 models can even be bought with one today.
Even BMW's M division has said outright that manuals probably won't survive much longer. Porsche's new patent of a shift-by-wire tech, however, appears to deliver the best of both worlds.
Porsche has filed a patent for a shifter that can be operated either like a manual gearbox or an auto, depending on the driver's preference. The brand filed the patent with the German Patent and Trademark Office in August 2024, and the details were published early in March 2026.
Image: German Patent and Trademark Office
The shift-by-wire gear selector has a forward and backward movement to select Drive, Neutral, and Reverse, making it operate like a traditional automatic. However, the selector also has an H-pattern option, so it can move left to right, forward, and backward. Under the hood, the design uses two sensors — one that measures the shaft's rotational angle when moving forward and backward, and another that detects the mechanism's sideways position when sliding into H-pattern mode.
Manual or Auto, On-The-Fly
This means drivers can toggle between automatic and manual, and not just at the start of a drive — both modes can be used on the fly. So you can row through gears on a canyon road and then slot into automatic when you hit city traffic. The H-pattern mode uses sensors to track the shifter's movement and create a mechanical, manual-like feel, and there's even a simulated clutch pedal to complete the experience.
The design is similar to Koenigsegg CC850's Engage Shift System, but there's a key difference: Koenigsegg built a gearbox that physically does both jobs, while Porsche's patent relies on electronics rather than the gearbox itself. That means the whole system can deliver a manual-shifting feel regardless of the transmission — dual-clutch, torque converter, or even an electrified drivetrain. It's not entirely unlike what Hyundai has already done with the Ioniq 5 N, which uses programmed gear shifts and staged power delivery to simulate a multi-gear transmission in a fully electric car.
There's also a practical reason beyond just fun. Manual transmissions are notoriously hard to optimize for fuel economy and emissions regulations, but a shift-by-wire setup could let Porsche offer that manual feel while still keeping things compliant and efficient.
The idea is still a patent, of course. This means it may or may not make its way into a production Porsche any time soon. However, we know that Porsche has shown it takes enthusiast demand seriously — American buyers were instrumental in pushing for the 992.2 Carrera T, which ships exclusively with a manual.
It's cool to see Porsche trying to save the manuals!
