Manual transmissions are preferred because on a continent where 1L engines drag around 4000lb cars (because displacement taxes) being able to shift when you wan

Manual transmissions are preferred because on a continent where 1L engines drag around 4000lb cars (because displacement taxes) being able to shift when you want (as opposed to just having to live with whatever gear the OEM engineers who have emissions to consider think you should be in) translates into a much improved driving experience. They're marginally cheaper but the real key is that they let the consumer side step engineering decisions that were made against the consumers interests.