The Manual Transmission Lives On At Honda, But Don’t Expect It To Spread

Honda just pledged allegiance to the manual transmission, and that’s great news for enthusiasts, but don’t get too excited: the lineup isn’t about to grow. That’s the word from Lance Woelfer, VP of sales at American Honda, who spoke with The Drive on the sidelines of last weekend’s IndyCar Freedom 250 in Washington.

• Honda will keep offering manual transmissions on the Civic Si, Civic Type R, and Acura Integra Type S

• The share of buyers choosing manual transmissions keeps shrinking

• Production of the current Civic Si has been paused while an all-new version is in the works

Here’s the catch, though: the manual has already disappeared from models where it would still be welcome, the standard Civic among them.

A Candid Admission

According to Woelfer, the situation is pretty straightforward: fewer and fewer buyers are asking for a stick shift. “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,” he said.

The good news is that Honda’s exec confirmed the automaker will keep the manual alive on its sportiest models, namely the Civic Si, Civic Type R, and Acura Integra Type S.

Just don’t expect to see it added anywhere else in the lineup.

A Promise Already Being Tested

Despite that commitment, it’s worth remembering that Honda recently halted production of the sixth-generation Civic Si, the most affordable way into a manual-equipped Honda.

A new version is promised once the regular Civic gets its redesign. Since the Si trim has only ever come with a manual gearbox, there’s little reason to expect that to change.

Until it returns, the only way to get three pedals in a Honda is the Civic Type R. Over at Acura, the Si’s pause also means the Integra A-Spec temporarily loses its manual option. Buyers chasing a stick-shift Acura in 2027 will need to step up to the Type S.

And to think that 25 years ago, you could still find a manual CR-V. The boxy Element offered one too, and so did the Accord sedan, right up until the generation that debuted in 2013.

That’s a staggering decline.

Still, the manual isn’t dead at Honda, even if it’s poised to become something of a rarity in the years ahead.