AMT to rule 30% of Vehicles in Next Five Years

Mankind always march further to ease up our life, this seems to fit perfectly here! Automatics once despised in the country for being less efficient than their manual counterparts, are now rapidly gaining popularity in almost every segment. Thanks to the technological advancement and increased efficiency, which now matches with manuals. Meanwhile, we came across a new term - AMT - Automated Manual Transmission, (basically a traditional manual unit with hydraulic actuator and a dedicated ECU).

Maruti Suzuki Celerio this year introduced country’s first AMT. The vehicle got overnight success and as the sole supplier of the unit is Magneti Marelli, the waiting period of the Maruti hatch rose to 4-6 months.

Magneti Marelli currently imports all the AMT units as CBUs (completely built units) from Italy but seeing the demand, the Fiat’s Italian parts manufacturer’s new facility is coming up in Manesar (near Gurgaon). Saju Mookken, Magneti Marelli India Managing Director and Country Manager, stated that by 2020 India would have 30 per cent vehicle featuring an AMT transmission.

Upcoming vehicle to use AMT?

As of now we have two cars from Maruti Suzuki - Celerio and the new Alto K10 and the sole diesel compact sedan - Tata Zest. Moreover, Tata is readying-up Nano’s AMT version which was also showcased at the expo earlier this year. Mahindra will also launch Quanto with an AMT soon. Renault’s global entry level small car which will be launched in India is reportedly coming with an AMT gearbox. Furthermore, others are also expected to chuck-in AMT in their entry-level affordable cars.

Source: ET

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