Honda confirmed Friday that the manual-transmission option will disappear entirely from the 2021 Accord sedan, marking the end of the bread-and-butter family sedan's decades-long dedication to the stick-shift.
In fact, not only is the manual Accord not returning, but the last one has already been built — back in December, Honda says — and from some quick searches of automotive classifieds, the number currently available nationwide may amount to no more than double digits.
Per Honda, the take rate on manual Accords has not exceeded 2 percent over the past several years despite an overall uptick in volume reported back in 2018. Even after the praise heaped upon the latest generation of Honda's go-to sedan, Honda just couldn't drum up enough excitement to justify further production.
"Manual transmissions will remain an important part of the Honda lineup," Honda's announcement said, going on to point out that a stick remains available on just about every variant of the Civic. "Enthusiast consumers have long reaped the rewards of this commitment, and those buyers helped make Honda the retail No. 1 manual transmission brand in America in 2019," it concluded.
With this move, Honda follows fellow midsize Mazda, which nixed the six-speed that was available on the Mazda6 for the 2019 model year; as the former owner of a first-gen Mazda6 with the old five-speed, your author is among those in mourning. There's some good news, at least. The excellent Genesis G70 will retain its manual gearbox for at least another year. All hope is not lost — at least not yet, anyway.
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