Acura has just confirmed the best bit of news about the new Integra yet. The sporty hatchback will officially be available with a six-speed manual gearbox, and we can almost hear the cheers from enthusiasts everywhere. The news was confirmed online by the automaker mere minutes ago. On social media, Acura brandished the cheeky hashtag #SaveTheManuals, a movement we would have no trouble getting behind.
The video itself shows several generations of older Acura Integra shift levers, starting with the 1986 model and ending with the new one, which means we also get our first official look at the car's interior. To the left of the gear lever are buttons that are presumably for driving modes and the like.
Clearly, Acura has every intention of milking the anticipation for the new Integra one detail at a time, as no other information was shared about the car. However, it's not the only product from Honda, Acura's parent company, that is keeping the manual gearbox alive. The new Honda Civic was unveiled earlier this year and it will also continue to be offered with a manual. Honda has engineered some of the sweetest-shifting manuals over the years and the new Integra should benefit from the company's expertise in this area.
As for other details regarding the Integra, these remain few and far between. We know that it will be a five-door hatchback with a similar front fascia to the new TLX but a uniquely sloping roofline at the back. It will also be offered in Type S guise and this model is highly likely to use a manual.
Acura's latest announcement used specific wording that said the Integra will be "available" with a six-speed manual, so that leads us to believe that an automatic will also be offered as another transmission option.
Besides its powertrain, we recently uncovered new information that either Honda or Acura seems likely to revive the RSX name. That's an odd one since the Integra came to be known as the RSX later in its life. Whatever it chooses to call its future products, we're just happy that Honda - and by extension, Acura - hasn't given up on the manual yet.