How long before the Type R is automatic only in the US?

Harlaquin

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So I know immediately some of you are gonna be ha never, and the manual purest like myself just cant even imagine the world with out manual transmission cars but. In the USA Manual transmission sales have hit such a low, less then 3% cars sold, that most manufactures have dropped even importing them. Audi is another one now to join the list of makers stopping import of manual transmission cars to the USA because sales are so low. Manual transmission in other country actually account for most of the sales some as high as 80% but the good old USA just does not like Manuals.

Along with most USA auto makers dropping cars left and right because again the USA only seems to like SUVs, the coming of more and more electric cars which basically more or less dont even have a transmission. And Honda closing Swinden as they say to focus on electric cars. I do not think it will be long till we just dont see manual sports cars in the US anymore. wont be worth the manufactures efforts plus again electric really doesn't need them.

Some examples. Ferrari and Lamborghini along with a whole host of supercars don't even offer manuals anymore. The BRZ and its clones use to be all Manual but now 90% of their sales are automatics. The new Supra is an automatic. I mean it really looks like here in the US anyway the days of us car guys getting a new manual are numbered. Cause even though there is a sub group that loves them its not worth a billion dollar car company to keep separate supply and manufacturing lines for a 3% crowd. I have read its so bad here in the US that driving schools dont even teach manual anymore cause no one wants to learn. As us older car guys pass away, the majority of the people who love manuals will be gonna and the young crowd just wants automatics. The percentages have dropped year after year and have never gone up once. Once they hit 2 or 1.5 percent I bet we can kiss manual transmissions good by.

I bet by 2025 we wont even have a manual option on the R anymore if not sooner. And it most likely will be fully electric.

I really dont want to live in a world of all electric automatic SUVs but that is where the USA market is heading. if they do stay around hybrid gas/electric with manual transmission sport cars in the USA will become an un-affordable premium due to the Manufactures losses to keep a minority product going.

What got me thinking about this was yesterday I was in the best buy parking lot and there were about 50 vehicles. I was no joke the only car in the lot everything else was SUV. and I was for certain the only manual car.
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So I know immediately some of you are gonna be ha never, and the manual purest like myself just cant even imagine the world with out manual transmission cars but. In the USA Manual transmission sales have hit such a low, less then 3% cars sold, that most manufactures have dropped even importing them. Audi is another one now to join the list of makers stopping import of manual transmission cars to the USA because sales are so low. Manual transmission in other country actually account for most of the sales some as high as 80% but the good old USA just does not like Manuals.

Along with most USA auto makers dropping cars left and right because again the USA only seems to like SUVs, the coming of more and more electric cars which basically more or less dont even have a transmission. And Honda closing Swinden as they say to focus on electric cars. I do not think it will be long till we just dont see manual sports cars in the US anymore. wont be worth the manufactures efforts plus again electric really doesn't need them.

Some examples. Ferrari and Lamborghini along with a whole host of supercars don't even offer manuals anymore. The BRZ and its clones use to be all Manual but now 90% of their sales are automatics. The new Supra is an automatic. I mean it really looks like here in the US anyway the days of us car guys getting a new manual are numbered. Cause even though there is a sub group that loves them its not worth a billion dollar car company to keep separate supply and manufacturing lines for a 3% crowd. I have read its so bad here in the US that driving schools dont even teach manual anymore cause no one wants to learn. As us older car guys pass away, the majority of the people who love manuals will be gonna and the young crowd just wants automatics. The percentages have dropped year after year and have never gone up once. Once they hit 2 or 1.5 percent I bet we can kiss manual transmissions good by.

I bet by 2025 we wont even have a manual option on the R anymore if not sooner. And it most likely will be fully electric.

I really dont want to live in a world of all electric automatic SUVs but that is where the USA market is heading. if they do stay around hybrid gas/electric with manual transmission sport cars in the USA will become an Affordable premium due to the Manufactures losses to keep a minority product going.

What got me thinking about this was yesterday I was in the best buy parking lot and there were about 50 vehicles. I was no joke the only car in the lot everything else was SUV. and I was for certain the only manual car.
I would love to have a dual clutch trans on the Type R like the dsg of the Golf R but without the added weight.
 

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I imagine that will mostly happen, but you will have a few niche cars or companies that decide to take that market.

Pretty sure you'll still be able to get a manual miata. Will Honda also decide to keep taking that market with the Type R? We shall see.
 
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Harlaquin

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I imagine that will mostly happen, but you will have a few niche cars or companies that decide to take that market.

Pretty sure you'll still be able to get a manual miata. Will Honda also decide to keep taking that market with the Type R? We shall see.
Oh I know, I said as much but I am also sure the market will be unaffordable for most. As it wont be cheap for manufactures to keep those products in the chain. Most suppliers in sure will drop making the stuff and then manufactures will pull it in house and be hand made. The cars will become expensive.
 


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Call me a purist but Honda should cancel the Si and Type R the moment they won't be stick shift only.

Something that makes cars like the Si, Type R, STI, and Focus RS special is that any time you see one you know the driver is someone that loves driving.

This is not the case with regular Civics, non STI WRXs, Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, Golf GTI- tons of non car people drive these so they do not have the same vibe as manual only cars.

Automatics/CVTs/DSG don't belong on a driver's car. Putting any kind of automatic or paddle shifter on an Si or Type R would ruin the heritage of the brand. :stirthepot:
I agree, and although there are automatics now that no manual driver can out perform thats not the point. A manual is an extension of the driver, you become one with the car. Its about the feel , the interaction, its about driving. Automatics are eh just something to get you to the store for milk. There is no connection.
 

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My dad's CaymanS has a PDK. It is a freakingly awesome transmission. Fast. intuitive. Seemless. That said, imho, the car loses something by not being a true manual. Great box, but just not the same.

The only reason to offer a manual is if
1) People buy it
2) People will pay for it.

In the old days, the Automatic was an option.. $500-1500 depending on brand and model. Clearly its turning around where the manual will be a $1500-2000 option if available at all. Emissions, Electrification etc have all pushed away from the manual trans.
 
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My dad's CaymanS has a PDK. It is a freakingly awesome transmission. Fast. intuitive. Seemless. That said, imho, the car loses something by not being a true manual. Great box, but just not the same.

The only reason to offer a manual is if
1) People buy it
2) People will pay for it.

In the old days, the Automatic was an option.. $500-1500 depending on brand and model. Clearly its turning around where the manual will be a $1500-2000 option if available at all. Emissions, Electrification etc have all pushed away from the manual trans.
Just in the US less then 3% other countries still sell the hell out of them some as much as 80%. far more then Automatics. I blame American lazy culture we want everything done for us lol. No seriously not sure why in US no one wants them but other countries love them.
 

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TL;DR

By the end of the day, enthusiast cars will likely keep a 6MT for as long as the internal combustion engine is still around.

Ford slashed all sedans... except for the Mustang.. of which it sells just as many manuals as automatics (if not more, actually.. you can find the sales numbers out there). The Miata also sells plenty of manuals- more so then autos. Certain cars are desired to come with a manual... these are generally niche vehicles such as the CTR.

I’m willing to wager $20 that the Type R never goes automatic. Honda cares about sales just as much as it’s own brand perception- there have been many people who are proud owners of Type R vehicles over the decades and I can’t imagine Honda diluting it’s own racing heritage in the name of sales. If that was the case, our current CTR wouldn’t be what it is. Honda holds a lot of pride behind being the fastest FWD car in the world and fastest car in its segment around many different race tracks.

If anything, the Type R trim will simply not come back, as opposed to going automatic. We lost it for 16 years after the ITR dissapeared after 2001. If the demand drops, I’d say goodbye to the Type R again, as much as I hate the sound of that.
 

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The biggest killer of manual transmissions won’t be the manufacturers, going forward. It will be the greedy dealerships that put otherwise attainable cars out of reach for many. No one wants to pay 5k or 10k over MSRP. Hell, even selling a car at MSRP is bullshit.

The rarer the manual becomes, the higher the dealer markups will go, the less manufacturers will sell. And manufacturers are completely powerless against dealer markups, as most dealerships don’t care what a manufacturer stipulates. They’re in the business of making money.
 


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All I can say is... if you have a CTR now... enjoy the moment you’re in. You can’t change the past and you don’t know what the future holds, either. Why worry what happens in five years when you have a car that can put a smile on your face for decades to come right now?

And if they all do go the way of the dinosaur, I will happily hold on to and drive my CTR until it’s last day. So long as it is kept in good shape, it’s value will only increase. I didn’t buy a CTR for that reason, but if that ends up happening, I won’t be sad. I’m in a good place now with a CTR in my garage :D
 

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Just in the US less then 3% other countries still sell the hell out of them some as much as 80%. far more then Automatics. I blame American lazy culture we want everything done for us lol. No seriously not sure why in US no one wants them but other countries love them.
Consider in europe that most folks buy the manual because its cheaper. And the majority drive small displacement gas or diesel motors. They aren't driving 5.0L V-8s that get 10MPG. Just owning, licensing, insuring a car is much more expensive in Europe for instance than here. Even getting a drivers license is harder.

Manual sales numbers are dropping in Europe too. As folks get richer and lazier, and traffic gets worse, and technology improves.. the Automatic is taking over. The killer is the Electrification required in China and in Europe that will kill both the manual and the ICE for their "local" markets.. but Automobiles are no longer a "local market" scenario. Costs are too high. Cars are global.

While Porsche had to recant to pressure and make manual available in its GT3, thats a$150-200K car. Not a $18K civic. There is a lot more money still to be made for Porsche to offer a "one off" like that vs Honda. You might be willing to pay more for a manual (ie, an SI or CTR) but most people (americans) no longer are interested.
 
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I've been researching new and upcoming cars in the $30K-$60K range and there are so many going electric.

I know it's a hot fanboy topic, but I honestly don't think there will be another generation, especially considering the plant is closing.

It all adds up to me thinking this is it. That's why I'm considering the CTR so intensely right now. If I really believed there would be another, I'd be waiting.
 
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Call me a purist but Honda should cancel the Si and Type R the moment they won't be stick shift only.

Something that makes cars like the Si, Type R, STI, and Focus RS special is that any time you see one you know the driver is someone that loves driving.

This is not the case with regular Civics, non STI WRXs, Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, Golf GTI- tons of non car people drive these so they do not have the same vibe as manual only cars.

Automatics/CVTs/DSG don't belong on a driver's car. Putting any kind of automatic or paddle shifter on an Si or Type R would ruin the heritage of the brand. :stirthepot:
This! I don’t know how to drive manual but I totally agree. Driving stick nowadays is more unique and special. I want to learn this skill and experience the fun you have! :)
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