Volkswagen set to ditch manual transmissions from 2030 – report

If you want to buy a new manual Volkswagen, you have until 2030 to do so before they become extinct, according to new reports.

Reported by German publication Auto Motor und Sport, the world's largest automotive manufacturer is set to ditch three-pedal vehicles from 2030 as it moves away from an internal combustion engine line-up by 2035, putting its resources into EVs instead.

According to the website, the third generation Tiguan will be the first model to drop manual transmissions from its line-up when it launches in 2023, followed by the Passat and other models from there onwards.

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The Mk8 Golf GTI is the first VW hot hatch to launch without a manual

In Australia, the range of Volkswagen models not available with manual transmissions has increased, with the Arteon, Carravelle, California, Passat, T-Cross, Tiguan, Toureg and T-Roc all sold as automatics only in the local market, something which VW Australia attributes to low manual sales in the past.

“Manuals are such a tiny percentage of Volkswagen’s Australian sales that we’ve long since dispensed with them, save for a bare few remaining variants," a spokesperson told WhichCar.

When the Mk8 Golf launched locally in June, only the base model was offered with a manual transmission out of the seven-variant strong range, signalling the first time a Golf GTI has been unavailable as a three-pedal in Australia.

As a subsidiary of Volkswagen, Skoda has also reduced its range of manual cars with the Scala, Kamiq and Fabia acting as the only three-pedals available Down Under while Cupra – the dedicated performance arm of Volkswagen – will launch next year with only automatic cars.