The German brand said that starting in 2023, the European lineup of the brand will consist only of cars with two pedals. At the same time, by 2030 VAG will say goodbye to "manual" in all markets – the USA, China, etc.
There are two reasons for this decision. The first is that car buyers have long preferred automatic transmissions, and the share of cars with manual gearboxes is decreasing every year. The second is banal electrification. Between 2033 and 2035, in most major markets, Volkswagen intends to bury fuel cars, replacing them with electric vehicles – and the latter, as is known, simply do not need manual transmissions (they mostly use a single-speed reducer, less often a two-speed one).
It is already known that the first Volkswagen model to lose the "manual" will be the updated Tiguan (sold in Europe). Other cars will also keep the manual transmission until the end of their life cycle. Among them are the latest Golf 8 GTI and Golf 8 R, as well as the recently released (in the USA) updated Jetta and its sports version GLI..
However, it is possible that Volkswagen will still keep the "manual" in service in those markets where electrification is not a goal. These include, for example, the countries of South America, Africa, and Russia.
