There are three reasons auto manufacturers no longer offer manual transmission offerings:
1. Emissions are easier to control when the driver is out of the equation.
2. Warranty claims are reduced because let's face it...some people shouldn't drive PERIOD...let alone drive a manual transmission-equipped car.
3. Demand is low. Have you ever noticed that the latest model years of trucks had "clunkier" manual transmissions than even the 70's-80's offerings? The newest 6-speed transmissions were absolutely MISERABLE to drive and they were made that way ON PURPOSE to turn off potential manual-transmission buyers and get them into the more expensive (and dare I say, "communistic") automatic transmission option.
By offering ONLY automatic transmissions, the driver is almost completely out of the equation (only really decides what direction the vehicle moves) and vehicle reliability is higher. The latest automatic offerings are stronger than the manual transmissions they replaced, they are easier to drive, and by God, if they don't perform better in all situations than a manual........
Besides, it's hard to program in torque reduction with a manual. Less broken parts equals fewer trips to the dealership for warranty repair. I was a die-hard manual transmission fan (first driving experience since everything on the ranch was a 60's-70's beater and my first four pickups were manuals) until I bought my second 7.3L truck. I won't own another manual transmission. Automatics just do EVERYTHING better and I'm not "less of a man" just because I know that automatics are better.
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