Audi Kills the Manuals

Quite a few enthusiasts have crusaded to save the manual transmission. Yes, most modern automatics shift faster and are more efficient, but they’re quite frankly boring to use. Audi, which caters to enthusiasts with a number of models, has decided that saving the manuals just isn’t worth it.

The German automaker told Car and Driver that it won’t sell any new vehicles in the U.S. with a manual transmission. Only the A4 and A5 could be outfitted with a stick, but starting with the 2019 model year that won’t be an option.

It didn’t cost anything extra to get a manual transmission, but worldwide only about 5 percent of the A4 and A5 models sold came with one. Something about people who shop for Audis makes them reject stick shifts.

If you want an Audi A4 or A5 with a manual transmission, there are still a number of them available at dealers across the U.S. You may even be able to get one for a real deal, considering how unpopular the option is.

The other piece of good news is there are still a fair amount of other cars that can come with a manual, even though that number has been shrinking, as long as you don’t have your heart set on an Audi.