Porsche Pledges to Keep Manual Gearboxes Alive as Long as Possible

Porsche's manual transmission has made a surprising comeback, going from near extinction a decade ago to the company unveiling a new one just last week. The push comes from serious American buyer demand, and Porsche's North America CEO says the brand will keep building stick-shift cars for as long as it can.

However, it won't add a manual to its hybrid 911 models, at least not yet.

According to Porsche North America CEO Timo Resch, speaking at Monterey Car Week, the company will offer manual transmissions as long as legally allowed and as long as customer demand holds. Resch told Road & Track that demand for the option should last well into the next decade.

He noted that customers asked for a three-pedal option between the base Carrera T and the GT3, which led to the new Carrera S manual with its 473-horsepower flat-six engine.

When counting models the way Porsche does, separating coupes and convertibles, the brand now offers seven stick-shift cars, though all are 911 variants: the S, T, and GT3. That's still more than the entire General Motors lineup. North American buyers are backing up their interest with purchases: over half of GT3 buyers choose the manual, and that figure jumps to 80% for the GT3 Touring.

A manual might seem counterintuitive for a track-focused GT3, but Resch says it's about the experience. Don't expect a manual in GTS or Turbo S models, both of which use Porsche's new hybrid system. Resch explained that hybrid and manual aren't compatible in Porsche's current setup, but he hinted the engineering team in Weissach never stops thinking and might eventually find a solution.

The manual's revival is notable given it was once blamed on demand and emissions issues. Now, emissions aren't a problem, and Porsche has turned the formerly cheaper option into a premium feature. While this creates some scarcity, it's hard to feel bad for buyers of $167,000 cars who can likely recoup the extra cost at resale.