The traditional manual transmission is not preferred by the new breed of customers in the U.S., and that’s the bottom line. We’ve seen a lot of automakers lately, providing only automatics in their offerings. The latest to go fully-automatic is Audi. The German company is replacing manual transmissions with automatic and dual-clutch gearboxes across its entire line-up. Why, Audi, why?

Final Nail in The Coffin

As reported by Car and Driver, Audi had only the A4 and the A5 offering manual transmission, both of which will be seen in auto-avatar only from 2019. The demand has fallen so low in the last couple of years that Audi had no reason to continue with the manual transmission. According to Car and Driver reports, only five-percent of A4 buyers in the U.S. have opted for the manual transmission.

Please Don’t Add Porsche To This List, VW

Well, it’s not just Audi bidding adieu to the third pedal; almost all of Volkswagen’s premium brands have opted out of it. Bugatti and Bentley have only autos, Lamborghini discontinued offering manual transmissions on the previous Gallardo and never offered them on its successor, the Huracan – or even the Aventador or the Urus. However, Porsche is carrying the manual transmission legacy for VW Group, and in fact, even developed a new seven-speed manual gearbox a few years back. Volkswagen remains untouched and continues to offer manual versions of the Golf and Jetta.

Last German to Carry The Manual Transmission Legacy

Audi seems to have followed Mercedes-Benz’s suit; which eliminated its manual car when the SLK was rebadged as the SLC a couple of years back. BMW, on the other hand, still offers stick-shifters on a few 2, 3, 4, and 6 Series models. Even the Jaguar F-Type, certain Cadillac ATS models, and the Genesis G70 have manual options in their respective line-ups.

Our Take

Manual transmissions will soon be seen as ‘vintage’ if all automakers follow this suit. A note to the Generation Z – Nothing can replicate the joy of using your skills to maneuver an extra pedal and stick or having complete control over your car. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Audi A4.

Read our full review on the 2018 Audi A5.

Read more Audi news.