Porsche U.S. CEO Talks the Manual's FuturePorscheThese days, the general trend with manual transmissions is a sad one, in that we've spent years seeing more and more sticks killed off for myriad reasons. That said, Porsche has long been a big believer in the three-pedal life—and instead of reducing its manual count, it's back to increasing the number of stick-shift options. The 911 Carrera S is the latest to earn its manual transmission back, having just been revealed during Monterey Car Week.Road & Track caught up with Porsche North America CEO Timo Resch during the Monterey festivities to learn more about Porsche's current perspective as it pertains to manual transmissions. Before adding the Carrera S manual back into the fold, the last manual 911s left were the Carrera T and GT3 variants. But interestingly, bringing the Carrera S manual back for the 992.2 generation wasn't part of the original plan. Customers asking for such a vehicle is why it exists today.Porsche"Because obviously our customers have a close relationship with their Porsche centers," Resch said. "And if they tell them, I would like to have a manual which kind of sits in between a GT3 and a T, we try to collect all of that feedback. And based on the history of, there was a Carrera S in the previous generation that had a manual transmission, we were like, 'Let's build a case.'"AdvertisementAdvertisementNorth American 911 buyers really love their manual transmissions, making the case a strong one. Resch shared the most recent GT3 manual take rates with us, saying that more than 50 percent of GT3 buyers choose to shift for themselves, while a whopping 80 percent of GT3 Touring buyers are opting for a stick. Those are admittedly the 911s that target Porsche's hardcore enthusiasts, but even if the Carrera S take rate falls a touch short of GT3 stats, we suspect the numbers will easily justify the cost of bringing the option back.Porsche"We're like, 'Yeah, but it's about the experience,'" Resch says is his response to manual naysayers. "Ultimately, it's the choice of the customer. And that's what we are about. It's about providing choice to our customers."When queried about the possibility of providing customers the choice of automatic or stick in Porsche's hybrid 911, Resch was a bit more reserved, but didn't close the door on future manual transmission hybrid vehicles."So, the technology setup that we have in place right now, and a manual transmission, like you see in the Carrera S as the MT package, they are not compatible," Resch says. "But at the same time, it's great to have an engineering team in Weissach that never stops thinking, and has a lot of great ideas. So I wouldn't be surprised if at some point they come up with a solution, but it probably will not be a combination that you see here of a manual transmission."PorscheWe've heard on multiple occasions before that Porsche's T-Hybrid system is not compatible with a manual transmission, at least as it stands. Based on Resch's comments, though, it would stand to reason that engineers are currently dreaming up a new system where such a combination would be possible, or at least a facsimile like Ferrari's new system in the 12Cilindri Manuale. Porsche might need it if the company intends to offer manual transmissions for as long as it can.AdvertisementAdvertisement"You can be assured that we will try to offer manual transmissions as long as we are legally allowed to, and as long as there's customer demand," Resch says. "And we see customer demand for the option, manual transmission also lasting well into the next decade."That's music to our ears.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State