nberry:

FWIW, only 4% (and dwindling each year) of all cars manufactured today are manual. I am surprised Corvette is offering it as an option.

 

?

Manual are still in production for the sole purpose of the American market. Same Americans who doesn't know how to operate paddles (not talking about you Nick as a ex-Ferrari owner).

Corvette's biggest market is still USA so manual is a must.

Plus, manual gearbox makes burnouts an easy job