The reintroduction of the Acura Integra was both welcome and controversial. Some saw the return of the Integra nameplate as outright blasphemy, for a vehicle that is basically a nicer Civic hatchback. Others — like myself— welcomed the Integra as it could have easily been just another crossover, with the Integra name stamped on it. But no matter which side of the fence you stand in this battle, we as enthusiasts should all be celebrating one thing about the Integra: It’s helping to keep the manual transmission alive.
The Integra is selling decently, with Acura saying that between May ‘22 and April 2023, they managed to move 19,643 units. While that may look low, as Autoblog pointed out, those figures mean it outsold every one of its competitors (Audi A3, Mercedes CLA, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe) during the same timeframe. But, how many Integras were manuals?
Acura says that 19 percent or 3,732 of those Integras were manual-equipped cars. That may not seem like many, especially when you take into account that Acura was touting 70 percent of Integra’s pre-orders were going for the manual. The drop in manual buyers could have something to do with the fact that Acura makes you pay a premium for it: a no-option Integra A-Spec with the manual is just over $36,000. Despite these realties, we can appreciate that they’re even still selling a stick shift car, especially as more and more automakers have turned manuals into an endangered species.
Acura also shared with Autoblog that the Integra has the youngest buyers in the segment: 36 percent of its buyers were under 35. The Integra is also taking buyers from other brands with a 70 percent conquest rate. Who knows, the percentage of manual buyers could increase even more substantially with the new Integra Type S on the horizon.