Honda has confirmed to MotorTrend that a pause in the production of the Civic
Si and manual-transmission Acura Integra will last through the 2027 model year, with the Civic Si, and possibly the manual-transmission Integra, returning in 2028.
On Tuesday, a leaked internal memo was published on Reddit indicating that, due to uncertainty about 2027 model year EPA regulations, Honda was going to “pause production” of the 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder and six-speed manual transmission powertrain, effective immediately. This combo is the exclusive driveline for the Honda Civic Si and an option for the Acura Integra A-Spec.
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Honda is due to launch a new Civic for the 2028 model year, based on a platform that will also underpin the Accord, CR-V, Prelude, and other vehicles. In an email to MotorTrend, a Honda spokesperson said that “The Si will return with the launch of the
next-generation Civic. The earliest anticipated return for [the] Integra A-spec 6MT is the 2028 model year.”
Now, you’ll note there’s a wee bit of ambiguity there: Honda only confirmed that the Civic Si would return, not that it would return with a manual transmission, while the Integra 6MT is a maybe. We imagine this’s more hedging than a hint at a death warrant. Honda has been wonderfully deliberate about maintaining the Civic Si (as well as the Civic Type R) as a purist’s sport sedan, clutch pedal and all. As for the availability of a manual-transmission Integra A-Spec, which is basically a sartorially superior Civic Si, we suppose that’s luck of parts commonality. We imagine Acura doesn’t sell many of them, and we applaud the company for keeping a clutch pedal in the lineup. (Acura’s Civic Type R analog, the Integra Type S, is also manual-only.)
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Should you rush out and buy a manual-transmission Civic Si or Integra A-Spec? It’s certainly worth considering. According (heh) to Honda, “Based on current forecasts, American Honda expects dealer inventory to remain available into early 2027,” though we would not be surprised if there’s a bit of panic-buying among enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, the Honda Civic Type R and Acura Integra Type S remain in production with manual transmissions. And while stick-shift choices are dwindling, the manual transmission certainly isn’t dead yet; Infiniti recently announced that the
next-gen Q50 sedan will offer a manual transmission.
