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Writer's pictureTurbocharged

Volkswagen Will No Longer Sell Manual Gearboxes By 2030

The Honda Accord, Hyundai Venue, Jeep Compass, and Genesis G70 are among the many cars that are dropping their manual transmissions this year. The experience of rowing your own gears is becoming less popular every year, and with automakers cutting costs by only selling what the majority wants, the amount of cars with manuals just keeps shrinking. Also, none of the electric cars offered today have a stick shift, and with an all-electric future just around the corner, this just makes matters worse. The latest automaker to discontinue the option of a manual is Volkswagen, who wants to wipe out the manual across the entire range by 2030.

The main reason is cutting costs, and especially after the expensive Dieselgate situation in the 2010's, Volkswagen's budget is still feeling small effects. VW knows the transition to EVs will be expensive, and they must limit spending as much as possible to support their commitment to them. The first manual models to be sacrificed will see their fate as soon as 2023, with the last manual from Wolfsburg leaving the factory by 2030.

The first automatic-only Volkswagens are expected to be the next-generation Tiguan SUV, which is slated to arrive in two years, as well as the redesigned Passat, which will be limited to customers in Europe and parts of Asia, and even the ninth-generation Golf hatchback. Also affected by this mass discontinuation of stick shifts are the other automakers within Volkswagen Group, such as SEAT, Skoda, and Audi. This means that the relatives of those new models are to be exclusively automatics too, including the next Skoda‘s Superb, Octavia, Kodiaq and Scala, SEAT’s Leon, Arona and Tarracco, and Audi’s A3, A6, and Q5 could be affected.

All three of those automakers have already launched at least one EV, and Audi vows that all of their new models will be EVs starting in 2026. So, as their electric range grows to replace the ICE models, the manuals could disappear fast in the Volkswagen Group umbrella. If you are looking into a manual Volkswagen, now is the time to take action.

Is this the right choice for VW? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Volkswagen, Skoda, SEAT






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