'This Is The Enthusiast's Choice:' Porsche's American CEO On Why The Manual Still Matters And What's Next

The manual transmission used to be a staple of the sports-car and supercar world. But as automakers have increasingly shifted (pun intended) to quicker, more efficient automatics, the three-pedal gearbox has largely become a plaything for only the deepest-of-pocketed shoppers.

Up until recently, you couldn't find a single manual transmission in the lineups of some of the world's biggest sports-car makers. Ferrari, McLaren, and Pagani had all moved on; even Porsche—maybe the brand most closely associated with the classic manual gearbox—had narrowed its manual offerings to just a handful of models.

But Porsche isn't ready to give up just yet. The company unveiled the new 911 Carrera S with the MT Package during Monterey Car Week, in response to what it says was genuine demand from enthusiasts. The package combines the seven-speed manual with a collection of other performance-focused goodies, making it one of the most enthusiast-oriented Carrera variants to date.

So, what does that demand actually look like from Porsche's perspective? And how long will it last? We sat down with Porsche Cars North America President and CEO Timo Resch to discuss the future of the manual transmission, the evolving EV landscape, and what Porsche's customers really want.

Porsche 911 Carrera S MT Package

Photo by: Porsche

Q: You Mentioned The Carrera S Was Driven By Customer Demand. Do A Lot Of Porsche Customers In General Still Want Manuals?

A: Absolutely. So, we see it threefold. We see it on one side, because we're obviously actively listening to what the world of social media is providing in terms of feedback. You don't always know if that is a real customer behind that or not, but you see that's a piece of conversation.

Then we are engaged in a lot of events and direct customer interaction where we see that this is the enthusiast's choice. And we hear from our dealers, who have been, obviously, in the day-to-day business together with our customers, who say, ‘This is really something we see additional demand for.’

And we see it on the take rates. On the GT3 as a Touring model, we have 80 percent of the customers picking the manual transmission. So all of these indicators gave us reason to believe that this is what customers are looking for.

Why Bring Back The Manual At A Premium Rather Than Offering It As A Standard Trim On The Carrera S?

In the end, we looked at what will be the most likely combination of options that customers will go for. And since the Carrera S has been the enthusiast choice, when you look at things that can be put on the car—like rear-axle steering, which makes the car even more agile, and center-lock wheels to bring the weight down, which you usually don't get on a Carrera S—these are also an enthusiast choice.

So we thought, combine it as a package of various things that naturally come along with that kind of drivetrain. And if you add up all of the individual prices—some of them you don't even get on the standard Carrera, like the wheels—it’s kind of an advantage for the customer to get it as a package, rather than getting all of them individually.

So for us, we want to be true to what customers really want instead of just doing something so that we can offer it as a list price variant. Then it becomes a little bit more difficult.

Photo by: Porsche

Switching To 718—Do You Think There’s A Market For An Electric Sports Car? Do Porsche Customers Want That?

I think electric sports cars have a purpose in the future. The question will be to align demand and supply in the right way. I had the chance to drive this electric sports car, and it's really engaging. It's very motivating to be in this car. So I'm looking forward to this coming at some point in the future.

I think the whole trajectory of electrification has changed compared to what not just OEMs, but also governments around the world—especially the United States—not just anticipated, but tried to dictate. So, for that reason, we now see what's happening: we are driven by natural customer demand, and we, as Porsche, are big believers in what customers are asking for; that's what we should be able to deliver to them.

Seeing lower volumes on Taycan doesn't necessarily make the car less attractive; there's just less natural demand, and that's okay. People find choices in the portfolio of Porsche, and we are happy if they are happy customers finding their choice, whatever drivetrain it might be.

Photo by: Porsche

Do Customers Typically Go From Taycan Back Into Gasoline Products?

We have seen both. We have people who actually drive a Taycan once, and then they stay with a Taycan forever, or if they need more room and more versatility, they now switch into a Cayenne electric. And some others are, like, 'I had my experience with an electric vehicle, and I want to have an emotional internal combustion engine drivetrain.'

But I think even these people are seeing an additional interest from a perspective, like when driving a Taycan with E-Shift. So all of a sudden, you have a very similar experience to an internal combustion engine vehicle, but only if you want to have it. You can also drive without it.

[For SUVs] we have a higher number of customers that stay with an EV, but some people go back and just have figured out for themselves in their lifestyle, with their setup of charging infrastructure, that it just doesn't work out. And then we are happy to try to have a choice and offer for them.

How Long Will The MT Package Stick Around?

There's no limitation in terms of production volume on [MT Package], so it's really driven by customer demand. We intend to offer manual transmission cars as long as we are allowed to, and as long as customer demand tells us this is something we should be building.

[911] is the core of the brand, and it will stay the core of the brand going forward… I'm very optimistic about the future, even though we are going through a transitional time frame right now.

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