How many stick shift cars can you name from American brands?
Manual transmissions from American brands are almost extinct except for these vehicles.
Honda has approved motor trend Production of the Civic Si and manual transmission Acura Integra will continue until the 2027 model year, and the Civic Si and manual transmission Integra may return in 2028.
On Tuesday, a leaked internal memo was published on Reddit showing that Honda plans to “pause production” of its 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder and six-speed manual transmission powertrain, effective immediately, due to uncertainty over EPA regulations for the 2027 model year. This combo is a driveline exclusive to the Honda Civic Si and is an option on the Acura Integra A-Spec.
Honda plans to launch a new Civic for 2028, based on the platform that also underpins vehicles such as the Accord, CR-V and Prelude. by email to motor trendA Honda spokesperson said, “Si will return with the release of the next-generation Civic.The earliest expected return of the Integra A-spec 6MT is the 2028 model.”
Now, you’ll notice there’s a little bit of ambiguity there. Honda has only confirmed that the Civic Si will return, but has not confirmed that it will return with a manual transmission, but the Integra 6MT is a possibility. We imagine this is more risk aversion than an intimation of a death warrant. Honda has been surprisingly deliberate in maintaining the Civic Si (and Civic Type R) as purist sports sedans, clutch pedals and all. The availability of the manual-transmission Integra A-Spec, which is essentially a fashionable Civic Si, can be considered fortunate due to parts commonality. I can imagine that Acura doesn’t sell many clutch pedals, but I commend the company for keeping it in its lineup. (Acura’s Civic Type R analog, the Integra Type S, is also manual only.)
Need to rush out and buy a manual transmission Civic Si or Integra A-Spec? It’s certainly worth considering. According to Honda (heh), “Based on current forecasts, American Honda expects dealer inventory to be available through early 2027,” but we wouldn’t be surprised if there was some panic buying among enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, the Honda Civic Type R and Acura Integra Type S will continue to be produced with manual transmissions. While stick shift options are dwindling, manual transmissions are certainly not dead yet. Infiniti recently announced that its next-generation Q50 sedan will be equipped with a manual transmission.
As always, we’ll bring you more news as the 2028 Honda Civic and Acura Integra go on sale. And it would be best to keep an eye on the news about the Si and Manitranny A-Spec.
