Audi's U.S. Lineup Will Be Free of Manual Gearboxes In 2019

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

The manual transmission continues to die a slow, lingering death. Audi is now eliminating the manual option from its entire U.S. lineup, not that the majority if its customers will actually miss it. While the 2018 Audi A4 can still be had with a six-speed manual, the refreshed 2019 model will not. The same will be true for the less-popular A5 coupe.

It’s a bum deal for enthusiasts but it’s difficult to come down too hard on Audi. The A4’s seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic isn’t exactly a terrible transmission and, considering it outsells the manual by a huge margin, it doesn’t make financial sense for Audi to ship anything else across the ocean.

Applying that logic hasn’t make us feel better about the situation, though.

According to Car and Driver, only about 5 percent of A4 customers in the United States picked the six-speed manual over the DTC. That’s actually more than expected, if we’re truly being honest with ourselves. However, the outlet did note the A4 was one of the few present-day vehicles where rowing your own gears could be faster if you’re exceptionally handy (er, footy?) with a clutch. It recorded the manual model’s zero-to-60 time at 5.1 seconds, a tenth of a second quicker than the dual-clutch A4.

If you’re quick enough, you can definitely still score a leftover 2018 A4 with a manual. Thankfully, Audi saw fit to deploy it on every trim level with Quattro all-wheel drive so you won’t have to settle for a front-drive base-trimmed turd. The A4’s 2019 refresh is also so incredibly subtle that nobody but you and a handful of Audi aficionados will have any awareness of your purchasing last year’s model.

[Image: Audi]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Rasputin Rasputin on Aug 19, 2018

    "...it doesn’t make financial sense for Audi to ship anything else across the ocean." I fail to see how the type of transmission makes the slightest difference in the cost of shipping a car across the ocean. Now if a manual transmission car just plain sits on the lot unsold and must be heavily discounted (thereby removing profit)to get rid of it, OK. But assuming Audi makes manuals at all, why cannot I go to a dealer and order one from the factory, not caring how ling it takes to get here?

    • JimZ JimZ on Aug 19, 2018

      "I fail to see how the type of transmission makes the slightest difference in the cost of shipping a car across the ocean." Let me guess, Drax, nothing goes over your head. Your reflexes are too fast, you would catch it. The point you missed by interpreting the sentence literally: It's not that a manual transmission Audi costs more to ship. It's that Audi has to spend the time and money certifying manual transmission versions of their cars for fuel economy, emissions, and crash safety. And it doesn't make financial sense for them to bother because they won't sell enough cars so equipped to recover the costs of certifying them. "But assuming Audi makes manuals at all, why cannot I go to a dealer and order one from the factory, not caring how ling it takes to get here?" because they can't sell it here unless the powertrain/vehicle combination is certified. Certifying them for a handful of sales is spending dollars to make pennies.

  • ABC-2000 ABC-2000 on Aug 19, 2018

    It's not easy to justify getting a manual, you can't really enjoy it if you stand in traffic every day, it makes sense if you get an MX-5 as a second car and live in some rural area. The last time I drove a manual was a rental car in Iceland, that was perfect fit for the type of driving you do there. It was very surprising to hear Toyota's new Corolla Hatchback comes with a manual! they probably know something I don't.

    • DenverMike DenverMike on Aug 20, 2018

      What does "stopped in traffic" have to do with it? When you look forward to not using it, you're not a fan of manuals.

  • Threeer Threeer on Aug 20, 2018

    One less manufacturer to consider in the future...and I rather liked Audi. But the American public has largely spoken (and continues to do so). While the enthusiast laments the dwindling number of choices, the larger (paying) majority has voted with their dollars and has chosen automatics. Cherish the sticks you have, folks!

  • IBx1 IBx1 on Aug 20, 2018

    Great, this makes it super easy to pick who NOT to buy my next car from.

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