Honda's Manual Take Rates Offer A Glimmer Of Hope

Following a drive in the2020 Toyota GR Supra, we got to wondering just how many manual transmissions Toyota sells these days.The results, we're disappointed to say, only mounted more evidence to the argument that manual transmissions are dying out. That initial inquiry started our dive into the rabbit hole where we discovered that theHyundai Genesis G70with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder - the only G70 offered with a manual - also had a dismal manual take rate.

However, that doesn't seem to be the case for Honda. According toAutoblog, the Japanese automaker actually sold 30% more manuals in 2018 than it did in 2017. On the surface, that news sounds fantastic. Especially when taking into account that overall sales were down by 2.2% for Honda over the same period.

It's when you stack that figure against sales of Honda's automatics, however, that all hope flies out the window. When comparing sales of Hondas with a manual transmission to total overall vehicle sales, the number works out to only a 2.8% manual take rate. Excluding models that don't offer the option of a stick shift only brings that number up mildly.

Proving that the Civic is the enthusiast's pick when compared to the Toyota Corolla is the model's 13.6% manual take rate, but keep in mind that number is skewed by offerings like the manual-only Civic Type R and Civic Si.