A Manual Corvette Isn't Coming Back Anytime Soon

The C8 Corvette's mid-engine layout made it impossible to carry over the old manual transmission.

When Chevrolet introduced the C8 Corvette, it was missing one major thing: a manual transmission. It was the first time in the car’s 67-year history that it lacked the option, but Chevy isn't concerned about offering it again.

In an episode of The Drive’s The Drivecast podcast, Corvette chief engineer Tony Roma explained that the automaker had to ditch the manual in the C8 because of cost. For over 20 years, from the C5 through the C7, Chevy used the "same manual transmission architecture" that it "slowly developed over like 30 years." He said:

'It was mostly paid for; we were doing slight upgrades on it, and it cost reasonable amounts of money to keep it in production.'

The C8’s mid-engine layout didn't let Chevy keep using that gearbox, requiring an all-new transmission design the automaker couldn't justify. Corvette buyers preferred the C7 with the automatic transmission, as interest in manual-equipped cars continues to fall overall.

2027 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

Photo by: Chevrolet

If you want a new car with a manual transmission (that you can actually afford), you have about 25 options in 2026. Many start under $40,000, which isn't cheap, but it is attainable.

The cheapest car on sale today with a manual is the Mazda MX-5 Miata for just over $31,000, with about 70 percent of buyers choosing the gearbox. If you need four doors, the Civic Si is about $1,000 more, but the manual transmission faces a tough future.

Last week, BMW M boss Frank van Meel said the surge in hybrid technology will make keeping the manual transmission “really difficult.” Hybrid engines can produce more power than current manuals can handle, and fewer suppliers are building these gearboxes as demand shrinks.

The future of the manual transmission will follow the same path as engine noise being piped into the cabin through the speakers—it will be artificial. More automakers will adopt automatic transmissions that can operate like a traditional manual.

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Koenigsegg’s Light Speed Transmission and Engage Shift System does this, offering both a nine-speed automatic and a six-speed manual within the same gearbox. Ferrari’s new 12Cilindri Manuale has a similar setup, letting drivers shift through the first six gears of the eight-speed dual-clutch.

Even Porsche has filed a patent for a simulated manual gearbox based on a dual-clutch automatic transmission. It’s another automaker that hasn’t given up on the manual, but only if customers want it.