Hot hatch recs and clearing up something about the Picanto GT

Hey y'all, selling my trusty Camry Sportivo for something smaller and more fuel efficient for work as I drive a lot. Been looking at hot hatches cause they seem like a good mix of fun and practicality and I enjoy the look. Rn I've been researching and trying to find good recommendations, really had my eye on some Kia Picanto GT's (as well as Fiesta ST's and Polo GTI's) but was watching redriven and they said they are really good but only available in manual? I've seen them advertised in auto with super low KM's, am I tripping or just missing something obvious that someone who knows more about cars would be able to clear up? Outside of that any hatch recommendations for the around 15k range are very welcome, cheers.