Genesis G70 loses its manual transmission after the 2021 model year

Genesis confirmed its alternative to the BMW 3 Series, the G70, will lose its manual transmission after the 2021 model year. It explained demand was far too low to justify offering the three-pedal setup for much longer.

"Technically, the manual G70 still exists for the 2021 model year, at least any that may already be in the pipeline (which could be zero)," a company spokesperson told Autoblog. "So, the likelihood of being able to find a 2021 with a manual transmission will be very slim. Then, it is officially discontinued for the 2022 model year," 

A quick search of dealer inventory nationwide turned up around 30 manual G70s left, possibly more.

Many automakers keep the stick around in order to advertise a lower entry-level price, but Genesis marketed the six-speed G70 as the dyed-in-the-wool enthusiast's choice. It came at the right time, too — at least on paper. The latest 3 Series is no longer offered with a stick on U.S. shores, and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class hasn't been available with one for years. Now Genesis has concluded that even driving fans no longer want to row their own gears.

Few will be flabbergasted to hear the news — and most buyers won't even notice. CarBuzz learned Genesis sold fewer than 100 stick-shifted G70s during the 2020 model year. The transmission was exclusively paired with rear-wheel drive and the 2.0-liter four-cylinder, an engine turbocharged to 255 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Motorists who wanted the twin-turbocharged, 3.3-liter V6 were stuck with the automatic, though making a six with a stick available likely wouldn't have vastly increased its take rate in a market shifting away from manuals.

The G70 was the first, last, and only stick-shifted Genesis. Parent company Hyundai still makes a manual transmission available in a handful of its models, including the Veloster N.

Although the new Ford Bronco will be offered with a seven-speed manual, the list of cars available new with a stick in the United States is shrinking at an alarming rate. Genesis announced the automatic-only G70 a few short days after the Jeep Compass and the Honda Accord lost their third pedal, too. In America, stick-shifted new cars represented 1.1% of the market in 2019, a figure that puts them behind EVs (1.6%) for the first time.

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By Ronan Glon