[Katana]

Outside of the US, maybe Canada (correct me) manual cars (stick shift) and estate cars (station wagons) are pretty common.

Here in England i've never even seen a auto tramission in my life outside of something like a top end Mercedes, most people i've talked to see auto's as lazy driving and that they don't give you as much control as a manual/clutch.

Also if you take your driving test in an auto car you aren't legally allowed to drive a manual car, and in a country where 95%+ of cars are manual the incentive to pass the test in a manual car is much higher since you'll have to find a auto car which is very hard in the used market, and they'll always cost more than the manual version.

The station wagon as you call it, is called and estate car in England, no idea why, it's just an extended version of a hatchback or saloon, they are a good alternative to buying a 4x4 as the MPG is better, they aren't as wide so easier to drive on tight countryside/town roads, and they have a ton of space.

Most people don't bother with hybrids as they are expensive as all new cars here highly taxed, a diesel hatchback like a VW Golf or Ford Focus would be more cheaper and probably get better MPG.