Fans of manual transmissions got a bit of a scare back in July, following Honda’s announcement that its Civic Si and the Acura Integra A-Spec won’t be around for 2027. Naturally, folks started to speculate on the potential end for these two models, implicitly meaning that only the Civic Type R and Integra Type S would be left to carry the manual in the automaker’s lineup.
And with demand for manuals continuing to fall across the board, it wouldn’t have been farfetched for that to become a reality. As it turned out, though, things might not be looking so dire after all, because Honda later assured us the Si would return. It still wasn’t clear whether it would do so with a manual gearbox at the time, but more details on that have surfaced.
Honda Will Keep Manuals Despite Shrinking Demand
2026 Honda Civic Si driving front 3/4Honda
At the recent IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington D.C., The Drive had a chance to speak to American Honda’s Vice President of Auto Sales, Lance Woelfer. With regard to the manual’s future, Woelfer acknowledges the current unfavorable climate for its continued production.
“It continues to be a smaller and smaller portion of the market that gets excited about the manual, and that will probably continue to shrink,” he said. But, at the same time, he also expressed Honda’s determination to keep enthusiasts happy, even as market trends are heading the other way.
The Civic Si Should Return With A Stick, But When?
2026 Honda Civic Si driving front 3/4 angleHonda
Woelfer essentially went on to say that a manual Si will most likely be available for the 2028 model year. “Because they’re fun-to-drive, we can continue to have models like the Civic Si or the Integra or the Type R that offer [the manual]. But we don’t see [it] growing,” he told The Drive.
With that in mind, it’s pretty safe to assume the shift stick will indeed be a thing on the 2028 Si. That’s great news for us gearheads, but the whole matter isn’t as clear-cut when it comes to the Acura Integra A-Spec. Woelfer did bring up the Integra in his statement, but he hasn’t specifically mentioned the A-Spec.
2026 Acura IntegraAcura
The Integra Type S and its six-speed manual won’t be going anywhere for the time being, and neither will the beloved Civic Type R. But with the A-Spec’s hiatus coming up and no word on it returning with a gear knob, one might pause and wonder whether Honda is quietly killing off its manual option without spilling the beans just yet.
It remains to be seen if we’ll get a six-speed Integra A-Spec along with the Si when production resumes, or if Honda’s manual lineup will be down to just three models. Whatever the case may be, it’s good to at least know that the six-speed Si is still planned for further production.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
In a world where manual cars are basically on life support, it’s always nice to hear that a manufacturer will remain dedicated to providing what enthusiasts crave. Oftentimes, growth and cost-cutting strategies tend to get in the way of such decisions, as continuing to serve a small niche doesn’t always make business sense. That being said, though, Honda seems set on making it work for the foreseeable future.
Source: The Drive
