Porsche Wants To Sell Manual Cars Until They’re Outlawed

• Porsche expects demand for manual 911s to remain strong well into the 2030s.
• Its engineers can’t combine the 911’s hybrid powertrain with a third pedal yet, but it hasn’t ruled out the possibility.
• With Porsche committed to keeping the manual alive for the long haul, the next-generation 911 could still offer a stick.

The manual transmission may be an endangered species, but Porsche isn’t ready to pull the plug just yet. In fact, the German automaker plans to keep offering three-pedal cars for as long as regulations and customer demand allow. The company has already taken steps to keep the manual alive. For 2027, the Carrera S gets a six-speed manual transmission option after initially being offered exclusively with the PDK.

The decision reminds us that customer demand still carries considerable weight when Porsche decides which transmission to offer. Earlier this month, in an interview with Motor1, Timo Resch, the president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, said strong demand for the manual 911 GT3 paved the way for the three-pedal Carrera S. In a separate interview with The Drive, Resch highlighted the company’s long-term commitment to the stick.

‘You can be assured that we will try to offer manual transmissions as long as we are legally allowed to and as long as there’s customer demand. And we see customer demand for the optional manual transmission also lasting well into the next decade.’

Porsche Is Sticking With Manuals

That’s about as clear a commitment to the manual as you’re likely to get from an automaker in 2026. While most manufacturers have either abandoned the stick shift or drastically reduced its availability, Porsche still sees enough demand to justify keeping it around. The latter part of Resch’s statement could mean the next-generation 911 will still have a third pedal. The 992 series has been around since 2019, so unless its life cycle stretches well beyond a decade, its successor could still let drivers row their own gears.

But keeping the manual alive won’t be easy as the 911 becomes increasingly electrified to meet emissions regulations. The current 911 GTS and Turbo S use the T-Hybrid system, which Resch says is currently incompatible with a manual transmission. “Currently” is the key word, as the company official leaves the door open for a potential hybrid 911 with a three-pedal setup.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point they [the engineers in Weissach] come up with a solution.’

Why Manuals Are Dying

We’ve heard plenty of excuses from other automakers about why manuals are dying. Some say they’re incompatible with electrification and increasingly complex safety and driver-assistance systems. Others claim the supplier base keeps shrinking, and that manuals also have power limitations.

However, Porsche isn’t ready to join the manual’s funeral procession. As long as the law permits it and buyers keep demanding it, the stick shift has a future in Zuffenhausen.

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Source: Porsche

Motor1’s Take: Porsche doesn’t have a crystal ball, so it can’t promise how long regulations will allow the manual gearbox to continue. For now, though, the company appears determined to fight for the third pedal because customers clearly still want it and are willing to pay top dollar.

Logic tells us the manual will stick around longer in North America, where emissions regulations are more relaxed than in the European Union. From what we’ve heard from various automakers that still sell manual cars, such as BMW, the take rate for manuals is also higher among American buyers than in Europe.

Looking ahead, the U.S. could be the last bastion for manuals, and Porsche is willing to die on the manual hill.