If anything it was dropped because you can drain the battery more often with an MT than a CVT. More wear and tear on the battery = less life. That's my quess.

I think the MAIN reason (AGAIN read, NOT ONLY) they dropped the MT was the new IMA system.

'00 Insight "Wazabi" -75,000+ miles
'03 Toyota Matrix - 81,000+ miles
'03 HCH-CVT-OSBM-41,000+ miles (retired 04-10-06)
"I'm very secure with my little Insight, no Prius envy here."

On anotehr note, my battery light has turned on before when I first got the car before my first fill up. All it seems to have been is the gas cap wasn't on tight enough. What I mean is, the area next to the gas cap has a sticker (Or maybe it's on the cap?) that says if you don't click it on 3 times the battery light may come on. Ever since I've been putting on the cap (Note the only time this has happened was before I filled the car) it hasn't happened.

I think you mean motor light or engine light. There is a battery light (it looks like a battery with + - terminals) and an engine light (looks like an engine). The engine light is the one that comes on when your cap is not on tight enough (happened to me twice).

My hydroponics experiment

You ever notice how hard it is to lip read cartoon characters?
"Crazy is what the sane call Delta Flyer"

That would be correct, I read the above wrong. Thanks for the correction!