Mini USA is bringing back manual transmissions and celebrating with a manual driving course at the BMW Performance Center.

The announcement comes shortly after the automaker confirmed that manual transmissions will return in several models.

The Mini Hardtop will see the return of the six-speed manual transmission as a standalone option starting with November production of the Cooper, Cooper S and John Cooper Works variants of the MINI Hardtop 2 Door.

The skill of driving a manual transmission vehicle has declined in the overall population due to fewer models being offered, but Mini hopes to change that. The manual driving school will be open to any driver looking for the opportunity to learn to drive manually, not just Mini owners.  

The BMW Group Performance Center West in Thermal California will be the exclusive location for the Mini Manual Driving School. 

Through the team of their experienced instructors, the school will incorporate both a classroom portion and a hands-on driving experience at the on-site test track. 

Since 1999, the BMW Performance Center has instructed over 500,000 participants at its two locations in California and Greenville, South Carolina, through a wide range of driving courses.  

In 2016, the schools added Mini driving programs. Mini is an independent brand of the BMW Group. 

Mini owners have long valued the manual transmission models offered by the brand, according to the automaker. Many of the thousands of drivers who attend the Mini Takes The States bi-annual road rally drive manuals. 

This initiative aims to welcome a new generation of manual drivers while allowing others to sharpen their skills after years of driving automatic, according to the automaker.