Porsche’s difficulties have been well documented this year, and the latest sales results globally aren’t showing much improvement. It wasn’t supposed to be like this when Volkswagen Group took Porsche public in September 2022, hoping to raise capital to fund development of battery-electric vehicles and software across the VW brands. The strategy didn’t pay off, but there is one gigantic silver lining for enthusiasts in all this.
Porsche
The US market is a huge factor in the success or failure of Porsche, and despite everything, one thing is clear. Americans love their manual 911s.
Manual Transmission A Factor In Porsche Sales
How have all the extenuating circumstances impacted sales for Porsche? The brand’s sales through September have dropped 14.1% from Q3 2025 to 49,038 vehicles in the US, its No.1 market. But CarBuzz reached out to Porsche for some behind-the-scenes information and received some good news, especially for those wanting to save the manual transmission from extinction.
There are seven Porsche 911 variants available in North America with a stick shift, starting with the Carrera T coupe. Perhaps it’s that manual availability that helped push Porsche 911 sales up in the US, and we’re talking way up – a robust 32.7% to 11,778 units through September. A Porsche spokesperson tells us more than 50% of 911 GT3 cars are selling with a manual. That goes to 80% on the 911 GT3 models with the Touring Package.
Would More Manuals Boost Overall Sales?
The 911 Carrera T and 911 GT3 S/C are only available with three pedals and “are seeing healthy demand,” Porsche tells us. The 911 Carrera S with MT Package – developed specifically for North America – will begin deliveries in the coming weeks.
July-Sept Sales
Year to Date
YTD % Change
2025
2026
2025
2026
ALL 911
3,448
3,300
8,872
11,778
+32.7%
ALL 718
1,719
8
5,398
252
-95.3%
ALL MACAN
6,599
5,519
21,162
17,071
-19.3%
ALL CAYENNE
4,294
5,837
14,621
15,622
+6.8%
ALL PANAMERA
790
825
3,410
2,699
-20.8%
ALL TAYCAN
1,553
537
3,636
1,616
-55.5%
TOTAL
18,403
16,026
57,099
49,038
-14.1%
The 911 might be the world’s most successful all-around sports car, but it alone cannot support Porsche’s fortunes, so it actually ranks No.3 in US sales through September behind the No.1 Macan crossover (down 19.3%) and the No.2 Cayenne (up 6.8% with a third-quarter flourish) so far this year. The Macan does not offer a manual transmission in the US, and the Cayenne hasn’t come with a stick since 2014.
Front shot of a 2024 Porsche 718 Cayman S with BoxsterPorsche
Little Help From 718, Taycan, Panamera
One year ago, Porsche’s No.4 seller in the US was the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman, with 5,398 units sold through September 2025. But that’s about the time Porsche ended production of the 718 lineup, which explains why the automaker only delivered 252 of them as that inventory thins out. There are still roadsters and coupes to be found out there!
The brand’s slowest sellers are doing little to bolster the bottom line. Taycan sales have dropped off a cliff, down 55.5% through September. The four-door Panamera, which was updated for 2026, fared slightly better, but is down 20.8%.
Porsche Macan GTS ElectricPorsche
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
It’s great to see Porsche growing sales with manual transmissions, but sales credit in Q3 really goes to the Cayenne, climbing 36% versus Q3 2025. Meanwhile, Porsche’s rebuild is underway as CEO Michael Leiters rolls out the Sportwagenschmiede ’35 strategy with a focus on internal-combustion models, exclusive variants, and a mid-engine supercar to be revealed Oct. 15.
A manual transmission would make this upcoming Mission S even better. Just saying.
