Honda Says It Will Keep The Manual Gearbox But Don’t Expect More Of Them

Despite the declining popularity of manual transmissions, Honda remains committed to keeping them in enthusiast models like the Civic Si, Type R, and Acura Integra Type S, even as executives acknowledge the difficulty of justifying continued production.

In a candid discussion with The Drive at the IndyCar Freedom 250 in Washington, DC, Lance Woelfer, Honda’s American Vice President of Auto Sales, addressed the diminishing prevalence of manual transmissions. Regarding the decline, Woelfer remarked:

‘It continues to be a smaller and smaller portion of the market that gets excited about the manual, and that will probably continue to shrink, honestly.’

Despite these market trends, there is a positive outlook for enthusiasts. While acknowledging that demand for manual transmissions is steadily declining, Honda has reaffirmed its commitment to offering stick-shift options for performance-oriented models, specifically the Honda Civic Si, Civic Type R, and Acura Integra Type S. Just don’t expect to see more manuals beyond that.

Honda remains committed to manual transmissions in models like the Civic Si and Type R, though production of the current Civic Si has been paused for a future redesign. With the manual-equipped Civic Si and Integra A-Spec temporarily off the market, enthusiasts must now opt for more expensive Type R or Type S variants. While manual options persist for now, their availability is becoming increasingly limited.

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