Thing about reliability... If you drive a crap jap basic model, you may pat yourself on the back for getting a car that on paper is more reliable than a BMW, Merc etc
Thing is though, they are more reliabele 'cause there's fuck all in them.
The luxury cars are equipped to the wazoo. You cant compare a 5 speed manual fuel injected car with a twin turbo 8 speed automatic that changes gear in a few hundredths of a second and has the ability to switch from auto to manual gears controlled from pedals on the steering wheel.
When you drive these well equipped cars, you feel the difference.
Warranty is an essential part of owning such a car too. You dont buy that much equipment and keep your fingers crossed.
BMW M Division sell more manuals in the US than anywhere else. I don't know about the regular models, but with the M models, Americans WANT the manual. One reason is that the feeling of shifting a sports car M model, is different and more enthralling than the auto found in the lux models. I don't know the take rate of the manual vs the Dual Clutch Transmission, but America seems to be the last stand for the manual (in all cars) which most people would think that would be Europe.
There is a certain unwritten rule: You don't buy a Mustang GT V8, Camaro, Corvette, 911, Lotus, M3 without a manual. Now, there are vehicles in that list that come with DCTs and autos that shift faster than the manual, but enthusiasts who buy those cars and like "the experience", want a manual.