Manuals are going to be replaced whether you like or not.
Many people were very angry when Ferrari and Lamborghini announced that they were going to get rid of traditional manual gearboxes in their cars to replace them with paddle shifters. So what? Ferrari and Lamborghini are trashing manual gearboxes, that doesn’t mean manual gearboxes are going to end today. What it does mean, however, is that manuals will someday disappear.
Ferrari has always strived to make the best supercars money can buy. Lamborghini always strives to be better than Ferrari. In these days of 670 hp and four-way traction control, the only thing stopping a supercar from breaking records is whoever is driving it. Paddle shifters swap cogs faster than any human being can even begin to dream. They were invented with the purpose of keeping drivers focused on the roads, which is rather important on the track
While I’ll admit there are some things a “manumatic” can’t do (Like keep a wheezy little anemic engine in the powerband), the time will come when manuals will become a drag in the ever advancing motor industry and we’ll all have to resort to automatics (With paddles for manual shifting of course).
Oh, and if you want a supercar with a manual, get a Corvette ZR1.
I don’t think manuals will disappear, so long as there’s demand for cheap cars or driver’s cars, there will always be the need for a manual transmission.
The last msanual car I iowned was a ’90 Plymouth Colt, which was a rebadged Mitsubishi Mirage. It had a five speed. It was a great little car that got an average 32mpg over 154,000 miles of driving. It was the last car that was a really fun little car. Our 2000 Maxima is not nearly as much fun with its AOD trans.