The Volkswagen Golf Is Losing Its Manual Transmission To European Emissions Laws: Report

Photo: Volkswagen

For nearly fifty years, the Volkswagen Golf GTI has been the benchmark for affordable, practical, fun cars. It may not be the most powerful, the best-handling, or the prettiest, but it’s always been an entertaining drive — thanks in no small part to its traditionally engaging manual gearbox. But now, a report from Autocar says that could all be going away: The entire Golf lineup could lose its row-your-own option as soon as next year.

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The change, according to Autocar, is due to the looming specter of Euro 7 emissions. The latest update to European Union pollution regulations is due to take effect in 2025, and should stand as the last set of ICE vehicle standards to hit the bloc before everything goes electric. Apparently, the regulations are just loose enough to allow automatic-transmission Golves to slip through, but they block the stick shift at the door:

Volkswagen technical development boss Kai Grünitz confirmed to Autocar: “With the next generation of the Golf, there will not be one with a manual gearshift.” He added that the decision was taken for reasons of emissions compliance, but Autocar understands the move has not yet been officially signed off, pending any changes to the Euro 7 legislation before it is ratified.

According to Volkswagen’s data, the manual Golf GTI emits 162g/km of CO2 compared with the automatic’s 160g/km – a slight difference but one that has significant implications in the context of manufacturer fleet emissions quotas.

The difference in emissions is miniscule, but apparently enough to no longer make the manual transmission justifiable. From that perspective, it’s likely not just emissions at play — instead, the minor uptick in fleetwide averages that the stick shift causes probably isn’t balanced out by ever-shrinking manual take rates. If you want stick shifts to stick around, now’s the time to vote with your wallet.