VW GTI and Golf R lead in manual take rate, but Sportwagen buyers like to shift, too

VW GTI and Golf R lead in manual take rate, but Sportwagen buyers like to shift, too

In 2018, 44% of those hot hatchbacks left dealer lots with a manual transmission. Some enthusiasts might be sad to see that more are sold with an automatic, but this seems like a strong rate when you consider that the R and GTI are available with such an excellent dual-clutch transmission. Also, when only about a third of Toyota 86s are sold with a manual, this looks better and better.