Honda will keep manuals, but sales are collapsing

# What happened

# Why this matters now Manual transmissions used to be a mainstream feature in compact performance and enthusiast cars. Recent sales patterns show that fewer buyers choose a stick shift, so manufacturers increasingly limit manuals to a small set of models aimed at driving purists. Honda's recent actions and comments make clear it is rethinking how many manuals it can justify building while still serving customers who want them.

# What Honda is saying At the IndyCar Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C., American Honda's VP of Auto Sales Lance Woelfer described current demand for manuals as shrinking. He said, "It continues to be a smaller and smaller portion of the market that gets excited about the manual," and added Honda expects that portion to keep shrinking. Despite that, Honda intends to preserve manual options where they make sense for enthusiast-oriented models.

# Where manuals will remain Honda currently reserves six-speed manuals for its enthusiast Civic models. Acura also offers a manual in certain Integra trims, including the more powerful Type S. That pattern — limiting manuals to performance-focused variants rather than broad availability — appears to be the company's near-term strategy.

# What to expect next Expect manuals to be available only on models that Honda positions as driving-focused. The Civic Si is slated to come back in 2028 with the next Civic generation, though Honda did not confirm transmission details. Other mainstream models are likely to drop manual options if demand keeps falling. That means fewer new cars with a clutch will reach U.S. showrooms, and manuals will become rarer even among compact performance cars.

# Practical implications for buyers and enthusiasts

• If you want a new car with a manual, prioritize shopping early for enthusiast trims (Si, Type R, Integra variants) because supply and availability will likely shrink.

• Owners who value manuals should consider used market options or act quickly when new enthusiast models are announced.

# Bottom line Honda is not abandoning manual transmissions entirely. It will keep manuals alive in specific enthusiast models, but declining demand is forcing the company to scale back production and treat manuals as a niche feature rather than a broadly available option.