--- title: "Cadillac Expects 25-35% of Its New Blackwing Performance Cars to Be Sold With a Manual" description: "Cadillac's chief engineer says that the new Blackwings offer manual transmissions precisely because no one else does anymore." date: "2021-02-10" modified: "2021-02-10" authors: - name: "Stef Schrader" job_title: "Contributor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stef-schrader" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/39181/cadillac-expects-25-35-of-its-new-blackwing-performance-cars-to-be-sold-with-a-manual" categories: - "Cadillac News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Cadillac" --- # Cadillac Expects 25-35% of Its New Blackwing Performance Cars to Be Sold With a Manual ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* If your knee-jerk reaction to Cadillac's new [2022 CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing]() performance cars was "but no one will buy the manual," think again. Cadillac Chief Engineer Tony Roma recently went onto the [*Autoline After Hours*]() podcast to chat about the new Blackwings, and noted that the marque specifically offered a manual transmission because the Blackwings' competitors keep discontinuing theirs. So far, that strategy of swooping in to #SaveTheManuals is working better than you might expect to the tune of roughly a quarter of their previous V-cars' sales. "Part of why we're \[offering the manual transmission\] is because other people are not doing it anymore," Roma told *Autoline After Hours.* "We want to build the cars we want to drive—the cars that resonate with enthusiasts." ![message-editor%2F1612948387682-2022-cadillac-ct5-v-blackwing-011.jpg]() **Cadillac** Enthusiasts are the target market for the Blackwing cars, as Cadillac repositioned its standard V-cars to appeal to a wider audience. Roma explains that "Blackwing" now designates the pinnacle of what Cadillac can do as a track-ready performance marque, and that the same people who love a good, fast car also prefer three pedals more often than the general public. Yet there are simply [fewer options]() now if you want a manual transmission on a sports sedan. Automakers tout the faster shifts and greater efficiency of their automatic gearboxes while forgetting that fun and engagement are what matter more to manual fans. If I had $5 for every time I've screamed "a track day is not a race and I don't need to squeeze every last tenth of a second out of a shift" into the void, I'd probably have the entire $84,990 base price of a [CT5-V Blackwing](). Cadillac's engineers actually understand that and notably, still want stick-shift enthusiasts' business. "Even though they're not faster these days... There's a very visceral connection with the car with a manual trans and \[with\] being that much more involved in the process of driving, and I think that fits the purpose of \[what\] these cars are," Roma told *Autoline After Hours*. Being able to understand the kinds of people who would be interested in a high-horsepower luxury car has attracted a sizable contingent of manual fans. According to Roma, roughly a quarter of all V-series cars that were offered with a manual in the past were sold with a manual transmission. As such, Cadillac expects to have a 25-35% take rate for the manual transmission on the CT4-V Blackwing and CT5-V Blackwing. https://youtube.com/embed/7dXNNJ55JMI Lest we think the "brown manual rear-wheel-drive wagon" stereotype of Internet enthusiasts never pans out into sales, Roma tossed out this fun stat on the second-gen CTS-V: *"I use this statistic and people are surprised. On the second gen V-series where we had a coupe, a sedan and a wagon, the wagon was the highest take-rate for a manual transmission, which is not necessarily intuitive until you think of who buys the wagon and they're kind of the most hardcore."* While the new 2022 Blackwing duo doesn't include a wagon, these still feel like the last of a breed of powerful rear-wheel-drive stick-shift American sedans—especially so with the V8-powered CT5-V Blackwing. The six-speed manual transmission even comes standard on both Blackwings, with the 10-speed automatic transmission being listed as the option. Even Roma isn't sure how much longer that will be possible, though. "The days of the manual transmission are limited, and I don't have any news on where it will go," Roma admits to *Autoline After Hours*. "I'm just excited that we were able to do it in the Blackwings this time around." Roma admits that a manual-transmission, high-performance Blackwing has a limited audience, noting that some parts specific to the manual transmission cars were 3D-printed due to it being a low-volume car. One of those parts, the shift knob, is something near and dear to me as an occasionally-blistered Texan: it's actually designed to dissipate heat so it doesn't roast your hands on hot days. Cadillac plans on incorporating 3D-printed parts into more of its low-volume cars in the future. The entire episode is worth a full listen [here]() if you'd like a solid geek-out over recent Cadillac history and all things Blackwing, so go check it out. *\[H/T [Uptons\_BJs]() on r/cars!\]* *Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Stef Schrader is a former senior staff writer for The Drive. She started writing about cars in 2013 after meeting Jalopnik's editor-in-chief at a race track, where Stef can be found at every available opportunity. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]() [Instagram]() [Twitter]()