Here is some info.
http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=2472&st=0&#entry11426
Evo was the first on the market with a "shift link" which I would rather call a cable connector. Now they are all over the place. The clones are being cloned.
The stock cable connectors are made of plastic. I have never seen a broken one or a picture of a broken one.