With regard to why most cars in Europe are stick-shift, it’s simply the way it is. The most common thing I’ve heard as to why is better control in inclement weather conditions, particularly during the winter months.
Surprised to hear there’s an absence of Toyota and Honda autos; they’re quite common here in the Czech Republic, though not as common as the domestic automaker, Škoda. Ford is quite popular here too.
Gas mileage, and the fact that (until recently) European automatic transmissions were notoriously unreliable (even Rolls Royce used to buy GM auto trannies).
It is their way of weaning stupid out of the streets. French are not big on accessibility and affirmative action. You cannot stick shift, forget getting a driver’s license.
Mit dobry den