Handbook GTI and Golf R Gross sales Spiked Proper Earlier than They Died

Volkswagen up to date the Mk8 Golf for the 2025 mannequin 12 months, bringing the anticipated visible tweaks and what seems to be a much-improved inside. All good issues, however sadly, the Mk8.5 GTI and Golf R misplaced their handbook transmissions with the facelift. US lovers responded by shopping for extra handbook Golf fashions final 12 months whereas they nonetheless might.

VW reported a 48.6% year-over-year gross sales enhance for the GTI and a 29.6% enhance for the Golf R. The automaker additionally instructed Motor1 that the take price for the handbook was 41% within the GTI and 52% for the Golf R, will increase over the 38% and 45% of 2023, respectively. This is how that interprets into whole gross sales:

Clearly, it isn’t that many vehicles within the massive scheme of issues: The Tiguan outsold the Jetta, Golf GTI and R, and Arteon mixed final 12 months. But it surely’s clear there’s demand for handbook fanatic vehicles. VW additionally provided “Version 380” variations of the GTI, commemorating the final 12 months of the stick shift.

So why is VW killing the handbook GTI and Golf R? VW sells an honest quantity of handbook scorching hatches within the US, however globally, only a few clients go for the six-speed. It made extra sense for VW to simplify its manufacturing by killing the handbook. It additionally wanted to put money into getting the Golf to fulfill the very strict Euro 7 emissions requirements, making the handbook an much more troublesome proposition.

To its credit score, VW is not ditching the handbook fully, providing a six-speed within the newly up to date Jetta GLI, which is not bought in Europe. VW tells us handbook Jetta gross sales total went down from 9% to six% in 2024—probably as a result of the automaker discontinued the bottom handbook Jetta and Jetta Sport partway by way of the 12 months—however handbook GLI gross sales rose from 33% to 38%. Given the GLI is now the one handbook providing for the US, it isn’t laborious to think about its take price going up. Clearly, some individuals nonetheless need sporty stick-shift VWs.