Ford CEO Jim Farley has gone on the record saying that the Mustang will keep its manual transmission for as long as possible. In a report from CarExpert, Farley proclaimed that, “out of our cold, dead hands will we not have a manual Mustang.”
Those strong words were said during the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, where Ford also marked its return to Formula 1. The American carmaker has been enlisted by Oracle Red Bull Racing, which ended up opening the season with sixth- and 20th-place finishes.
Locally, Ford Philippines offers two variants of the famed Pony, but neither can be optioned with a manual gearbox. Instead, the local units utilize Ford’s 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission to manage their power.
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While manual Mustangs are a tad out of reach for us, traditionalists can relax knowing they will continue to live on in other markets. Who knows, Ford Philippines may eventually decide to bring a manual option down the line?
Interestingly, the Blue Oval isn’t the only brand that has sided with stickshifts as of late. At the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon in January, Nissan announced that the refreshed Z Nismo will be offered with a manual option on top of the usual performance upgrades. It’s nice to see that even after downsizing its global production and operations, Nissan still believes in manual gearboxes.
Long live the stick.
