Lamborghini rules out manual transmissions forever — the last one rolled off the line in 2013

Lamborghini has no intention of bringing back manual transmissions, according to CEO Stephan Winkelmann. The brand's entire production process is now built around automatic gearboxes, and manuals appeal only to a handful of ultra-wealthy collectors — and even then, more as a novelty than for actual driving.

As CarBuzz recalls, the last Lamborghini equipped with a manual gearbox left the factory in 2013: it was the Gallardo. Even back then, demand for the three-pedal setup was already very low. Since that model, the Italian automaker has shifted entirely to automatic transmissions, and a return to the old format is not under consideration.

The decline of the manual transmission is a global trend, not limited to high-end brands. In Russia, for instance, where AvtoVAZ still holds a significant share of the passenger car market and is slowly transitioning to automatics, around 74% of new cars sold are now equipped with some form of automatic gearbox — be it a CVT, a dual-clutch robot, or a traditional torque-converter automatic.

This shift has been driven by the proliferation of continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) and automated manual gearboxes (robots), which have made automatics affordable even for budget cars. For decades, the death of the manual was predicted as an opinion; today, it is a plain fact backed by sales statistics and buyer preferences. Even the most iconic supercar manufacturers, like Lamborghini, see no future in the manual stick shift — the technology has become a relic reserved for vintage enthusiasts and collectors, not for modern production lines.