Not to go too off topic but I find some of the comments on that blog interesting. Some say they would prefer to buy a GTR or Audi R8 for $100K..
To each their own but this M5 would slaughter an R8 and after that, you can take your family for a nice long road trip (with luggage)
BMW giving the option for manual or Auto in this category is perfect. There are still customers out there that would prefer a manual