When it was normal
In 2000, you could buy a manual transmission in essentially every segment of the American market. Every Honda Civic, every Ford Focus, every Chevy Cavalier offered a stick. Performance cars were almost exclusively manual — the BMW M3, Porsche 911, Corvette Z06, Mustang GT, Acura NSX. The take rate on manuals in the Mazda Miata exceeded 90%. Manuals were cheaper, faster (when driven well), and what enthusiasts wanted.
By 2025, manual gearboxes had been removed from approximately 95% of American cars on sale. The exceptions are countable on two hands.
The cause of death
Three things killed the manual:
1. Automatics got faster. A 2007 ZF 6-speed automatic shifted in 200ms. By 2015, the Porsche PDK was at 60ms. By 2020, the C8 Corvette's 8-speed DCT was sub-100ms. The "manual is faster" argument died around 2010.
2. EPA fuel-economy testing. The federal EPA test cycle penalises manuals because their predicted shift points are less efficient than computer-controlled automatic shifts. Manufacturers chasing the last 2mpg of fleet average dropped manuals as a tiebreaker.
3. Take rates collapsed. When the manual take rate on a 2015 Mustang GT was 28%, Ford kept the manual. When the take rate on a 2024 Camaro fell below 15%, GM didn't renew it. The Civic Si manual take rate in 2024 was 100% — because Honda only offers it as a manual. That's the exception.
The exact dates
Here is roughly when manuals died at each major manufacturer's mainstream lineup:
- Acura — Last manual was the 2020 ILX. The Type S successors are auto only. - Audi — Last manual was the 2019 A4 Allroad. RS models went auto-only in 2014. - BMW — Last manual M car in the US was the 2024 M2. The 2024 M4 Competition manual was discontinued in some markets but the M2 manual continues. M3 manual ended with the F80 in 2018. - Cadillac — Last manual was the 2022 CT5-V Blackwing — and the 2024 Blackwing continues as the only manual Cadillac. It will be the last. - Chevrolet — Last manual Camaro was 2024. Last manual Corvette was 2019 (C7). C8 is DCT only. - Dodge / SRT — Manual Challenger Hellcat continued until 2023. The Charger never had a manual after 2010. - Ford — Mustang GT manual continues through 2026 (S650). Last manual Focus was 2018 (RS). F-150 went auto-only with the 13th gen. - Honda — Civic Si and Type R remain manual through 2026. Accord lost the manual in 2020. Used Honda manuals are appreciating. - Mazda — Miata is still manual-default through 2026. CX series and Mazda3 are auto-only. - Porsche — 911 GT3 still offers a manual through 2025. 911 Carrera S manual was killed in the 992 update. Cayman GT4 RS is PDK only. - Subaru — WRX still manual through 2025. STI was killed entirely in 2021. - Toyota — GR Corolla and GR86 keep the manual. Camry / RAV4 / Highlander are all auto-only since 2018. - Volkswagen — Last manual GTI in the US was 2024 Mk8. Golf R lost the manual in 2022. Jetta GLI keeps the manual through 2025.
What's left
In 2026 you can still buy a new manual in:
- Sports cars / coupes: Porsche 911 GT3, Ford Mustang GT, Mazda Miata, Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ - Sport sedans: Honda Civic Si, Honda Civic Type R, Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, VW Jetta GLI - Hot hatches / wagons: Toyota GR Corolla, Volkswagen GTI (final year) - Trucks: Jeep Wrangler (still manual-available)
That's about 15 cars. In 2000 it was several hundred.
The manual gearbox is dying. It will not be back.
The eulogy
The argument for keeping manuals was never about speed. Speed died as an argument 15 years ago. The argument was about engagement — the act of choosing a gear, slipping the clutch, modulating throttle and clutch and brake all at once, becoming part of the car's mechanical operation rather than its passenger.
That argument doesn't carry weight against EPA-driven economy targets, automatic transmissions that shift faster than humans can think, and a buying public that has decided two pedals is enough. The manual is a hobby now — preserved by Porsche, Honda, Mazda, and a few holdouts who understand that a fraction of buyers want to do the work themselves.
By 2030, the manual will be electric — see the simulated-shift Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. That's the next chapter, and it's a different argument entirely.