Or a market in search of novelty - something else on which to spend the $ that are burning holes in pockets. Automatics are enjoyable in their own way, but more involvement doesn't always mean more work or more worry. Sometimes it means more fun. My last two cars were stick, not because I thought they "performed" any better, but because I enjoyed controlling them. Of course, to some extent you can control an automatic without touching a shifter, but it really isn't the same; hands-free always struck me as, shall we say, "unhealthy."