Cadillac
Although the Save The Manuals movement has been around for years, few would argue that manual transmissions can match the performance and convenience of modern automatics. Today, the remaining cars with manual gearboxes are largely enthusiast models. People mostly purchase them not for practicality, but for the fun driving experience, one of a few factors that make manual transmissions worth the learning curve.
Although the demand for manual transmissions in the U.S. has seen some uptick in recent years, it remains tiny in comparison to automatics. Even so, it seems like the current Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is seemingly going out of production in 2026. Although cars go out of production all the time, this one is a bit more special. That's because the CT5-V is America's last performance stick-shift V8 sedan.
On a more positive note, Cadillac did confirm that the CT5 badge will return as an internal combustion engine model, but at the time of research, there are no indications that it's going to sport a manual transmission, and there are a few reasons why you shouldn't expect a manual from the upcoming CT5.
The CT5-V is a true old-school performance sedan
Cadillac
Before the turn of the millennium, the BMW M5 and the Mercedes E-Class AMG were the defining duo of the premium four-door performance sedan segment. Although no one saw it coming, in the early 2000s, Cadillac came out with the CTS-V. It was the very first road Cadillac to sport the V, with its sights set to rival its German competitors. The CTS-V was refreshed in 2009, and it still is one of the highest horsepower Cadillacs ever made.
Mercedes never offered the manual transmission with the AMG E-Class. The BMW M5 dropped its manual transmissions in the 2010s. Cadillac continued the tradition of V8-powered four-door performance sedans sporting a manual, and the 2025 CT5-V Blackwing is the latest iteration.
In 2026, when many automakers already have abandoned the sedan altogether, the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is the definition of an old-school performance sedan on the brink of extinction. When the latest BMW M5 is a dual-clutch, all-wheel-drive hybrid behemoth weighing 5,390 lbs, the 4,092 lbs Blackwing still keeps the traditional rear-wheel-drive manual recipe — and it deserves to be celebrated while it's still here.
Could the new CT5 sport a manual?
Cadillac
In Cadillac's current lineup, only the CT4-V and CT5-V are available with manual transmissions. After Chevrolet retired the Camaro, that makes them the only vehicles of any General Motors brand to have a stick shift. With that in mind, and the fact that the entire car industry is mostly done with manual transmissions, chances of a stick shift comeback are slim, but not zero.
Comparing the automatic version of the CT5 with the manual, the results are very similar from 0-60, while the automatic seems to slightly edge out the manual in the quarter mile. Be that as it may, the target buyers still long for manual transmissions, and the fact that almost half of all 2024 Blackwing models were optioned with a manual serves as a beacon of hope that Cadillac might continue the tradition.
What we know so far is that Cadillac confirmed a next‑generation CT5 will continue with internal combustion power, and that it is going to be built in GM's Lansing Grand River Assembly plant. However, it has not confirmed whether there will ever be a Blackwing, or any sort of performance model when it returns, let alone a manual.
