Back in July, Honda announced it’d pause production of two models with manual transmissions: the 2027 Honda Civic Si and its fancier sibling, the Acura Integra A-Spec. The move was initially seen as a bit of a death certificate for the fun-to-drive compacts, but the automaker later clarified that the Si will undoubtedly return with the next-generation Civic in 2028—even if it didn’t specify it’d do so with a manual.

 

While attending the IndyCar Freedom 250 race in Washington, D.C., American Honda VP of Auto Sales Lance Woelfer shared the current reality of the manual transmission, which isn’t exactly great.