Just look at the RS6, M5, M6, MB AMG etc.

How succesful was the new BMW M5 manual that the customers "had to have or else"...?

In the future, after many years of autos only, perhaps we will see some "going back to basic".

I am sure some brands like Porsche will keep offering both "forever".

My understanding is that an auto also help to get better values in the EU emission cycle (not that it has anything to do with real life emissions, but autos get an advantage as they can go into higher gears sooner.)