5 Speed rant !

I think you can get the new Accent SE with a manual, that is their highest trim leve.

No idea why you cant get the Rio SX with the manual. Shame because it looks soo much better than the Accent.

My Elantra has those options and is a stick, 6 speed

This is rant-worthy? It's been this way for a long time. 99% of the public wants to buy an auto with their crap-box. It's not like manuals are really disappearing anytime soon. Most performance cars will be available with a manual for a long long time (and many of them manual trans. only)

I specifically looked for an auto when I purchased my latest E36 M3 box. Makes me less likely to modify it, less of an issue lending it to friends/parents, easier to re-sell, easier to deal with in traffic, easier to deal with in the snow.

"It's not like manuals are really disappearing anytime soon."

When a company like Ferrari starts building models that are not available with a manual transmission (458 Italia), I would think "the end is nearing" for manuals.

It doesn't help that new automatics get better gas mileage than manuals and as a consequence pass emissions tests easier.

Even in trucks, the last "bastion" of the manual transmission, it's getting harder to find one with a V8 that is available with a manual transmission.

BTW, when I buy a car, finding something a chimp can operate and therefore can be lent it to relatives isn't on my list of reasons to buy a car. I also look for a car with a manual transmission so I can be reasonably sure it won't be stolen by some under-aged/unlicensed juvenile delinquent.

it is a shame, but the sad fact of the matter is the current ATX and paddle style are faster on track, get better MPG, and wear as well if not better than a compreable 5/6 speed manual clutched gear box...

That being said, i bought a MazdaSPEED 6 cause i wanted 4 doors, awd, some respectable (for its release date) performance, and a 6 speed with a 3rd pedal, i prefer to DRIVE not ride in my own car...