> 1. Cars that offered manual options needed a center console. Japanese imports would always have a manual version, even if that version wasn't in the US. Same with European.

Maybe in cars, but even when trucks still had a manual option, the S10/Sonoma as well as the full size GMT400 had a bench seat in the 90s/00s and a floor manual shifter, and it all worked pretty well. None of them shift like a Porsche, but especially in the full size trucks the center of the bench wasn't too bad if you weren't a large person, and they're generally pretty pleasant to drive.

You're right though that a truck could offer a floor shifter manual or a column auto because it's an easy conversion.

European cars did have the 4 on the floor but that's dated and these didn't have an automatic for the US (afaik).

I'm looking at the period when bench seats died though. A major change in car sizes and the dominance of imports.