Recliner wrote:

It's only a matter of time before all cars are automatics: with more
ratios, they're more fuel efficient and perform better than manual
transmissions. In fact, many high performance and almost all Eco cars are
now auto-only. The manual gearbox is going the way of the manual choke,
carburettor, starting handle, etc. It's almost 30 years since I switched to
automatics, and I wouldn't dream of going back.

Finding a US rental car with a manual transmission in the US is near impossible
outside of certain specialist vehicles. This also reflects the private vehicle
market as even cars offered with supposed "manual" transmissions are really
automatics with paddle shift switches.

In the UK, it seems to be quite different and I'm not sure why.