After half a century, the Volkswagen Golf will drop its manual transmission – report

The 2024 Volkswagen Golf will only be offered with an automatic transmission globally, as the German car giant readies the hatchback for strict emissions regulations.

According to a report from UK publication Autocar, Volkswagen will drop the manual transmission from its eighth-generation Golf update in 2024 – 50 years after the nameplate was launched.

While the decision is yet to be locked-in by Volkswagen, it's understood the minor emissions benefit that comes with having an automatic transmission will cause the manual to be dropped from the Golf, as the European Union seeks to implement strict Euro 7 emissions laws from 2025.

In the Golf, the automatic transmission is fitted with up to eight gears – compared with six forward gears in the manual transmission – allowing the engine to rev less and remain at its most efficient power band, reducing the amount of tailpipe emissions emitted.

Australian buyers haven't been able to option a manual gearbox on the Golf since late 2021, when the option was "temporarily" removed to free up production slots for more popular automatic variants – with the promise it would return in the following year.

MORE: Volkswagen Golf manual axed – officially

However, by mid 2022, Volkswagen's local arm had confirmed it had been "formally discontinued," as reported by Drive at the time.

"Golf sells as close to 100 per cent auto or DSG [dual-clutch auto] as makes no odds," a spokesperson for the brand told Drive in July 2022.

Both the Golf GTI and Golf R hot hatches have been automatic-only since 2018.

"We make cars our customers want, and our customers are telling us this is what they want," a spokesperson for Volkswagen Australia told Drive in May 2018.

"Second-time buyers for these cars, for GTIs and Rs, [who] have had a manual are coming back to get [an automatic] because it's quicker, it's more efficient, and on the move we as humans just can't change gears as quickly as that – whatever tactile enjoyment … we might derive from it."

While automatics have long been the preference for Australian buyers, it wasn't until 2020 when the UK bought more new cars with autos than manuals, Autocar reported at the time.

MORE: Volkswagen renews calls to delay Europe’s strict vehicle emissions laws

The decision to drop manual transmission from the Golf line-up could be the first step towards electrification, with Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer confirming in April 2023 there were no plans to offer the Golf with petrol or diesel engines in the next-generation model – due as early as 2028.

"It's clear that we will not be giving up iconic names like Golf, Tiguan and GTI, but will be transferring them to the electric world," Mr Schäfer said at the time.

But while the Golf nameplate appears safe, in November 2022 Mr Schäfer warned the Volkswagen Polo could be axed from its line-up due to costs involved with meeting the forthcoming Euro 7 emissions laws.