Civic SI and Type R: Honda Knows What Enthusiasts Want, Industry Trends Notwithstanding

Finding a new Porsche or Aston Martin with a manual transmission will be hard, but Honda has your back

When showcasing the new Honda Civic Sedan

Honda surprised us with special news

The Next-gen Civic SI and Type R

Will be offered with a manual transmission only

A surprising statement

Considering Aston Martin just killed off its manual transmission

And that so few people opt for manuals today

Less than 3-percent in 2020

It's not only demand that's low

The cost to develop and build manual transmission

With such a low take rate isn't feasible

Plus today's automatics offer better performance

From faster shift times

To the capability of handling more power

Thankfully, Honda isn't giving up on the manual transmission just yet