Porsche Is Working On An Automatic That Pretends To Be A Manual

A new patent filing reveals Porsche's idea to turn a dual-clutch automatic gearbox into a manual transmission.

Photo by: Porsche

By: Anthony Alaniz

Sep 21, at 2:00pm ET

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Porsche files a patent for a simulated manual gearbox based on a dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The system has three configurations: traditional automatic, sequential shifting, and full manual mode with a clutch.
Porsche’s new patent expands on an earlier one detailing a shift-by-wire gear selector.

A few months ago, a Porsche patent revealed the automaker’s idea for a shift-by-wire gear selector. It can operate like a traditional automatic shift lever or a manual gear selector, and a new filing from the company expands that idea into a complete simulated manual transmission setup.

The filing (DE102025109563A1), first uncovered by CarBuzz at the European Patent Office, depicts a dual-clutch automatic transmission with three selectable configurations and a third pedal. The first one operates like a traditional automatic transmission, with no driver input needed beyond Drive, Reverse, or Neutral, and the accelerator.

The second configuration unlocks sequential shifting, which is common on many DCTs. This lets drivers shift up or down to the next gear via paddle shifters or a shift lever.

The third configuration turns the gearbox into a manual transmission, including the clutch, which is activated via the third pedal. The monostable gear selector becomes a multi-stable gear selector, operating like a manual gearbox with shift patterns designed to recreate that experience.

Porsche says the technology can work on a combustion car or a hybrid vehicle.

Porsche Simulated Manual Patent

Photo by: Anna (Porsche's Owner)

Software Savior

Porsche is not the first automaker to use software to recreate the feel of a manual transmission. Koenigsegg’s Light Speed Transmission and Engage Shift System are very similar, offering both a nine-speed automatic and a six-speed manual within the same gearbox.

Ferrari’s new 12Cilindri Manuale has a similar setup. It lets drivers shift through the first six gears of the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, and it will penalize poor execution. It will jolt, buck, and even stall.

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Even Hyundai is toying with a simulated manual gearbox. The Korean automaker has a patent for its own shift-by-wire system from a few months ago, a feature we might see in its future electric vehicles.

Motor1’s Take: Porsche wants to make its automatic-equipped cars more fun and engaging without compromising cost or efficiency. Authentic manual transmissions continue to disappear from new cars, but simulated manuals could be the solution that keeps enthusiasts happy.