Renault and Hyundai to offer AMT Soon in India

Grand i10 and Renault’s upcoming XBA may get the AMT automatic first in their lineup!

There’s no denying the fact that AMTs are rapidly getting popular despite their lack of smoothness and jerky power delivery. Maruti Celerio was the first car to introduce this tech in India while Tata became the first to offer it with a diesel engine in Zest. Now country’s second largest manufacturer - Hyundai and French automaker - Renault also wants to cash on the opportunity. For Hyundai, it's likely the Grand i10 to get AMT first then next-gen EON while for Renault its most likely to be their global small car ‘XBA’, which will be making its world premiere on May 20, 2015 in the country. Moreover, unlike Maruti or Tata, both the manufacturer will source AMT from ZF Sachs.   

AMT, an abbreviation for Automated-Manual Transmission is basically a manual gearbox, which shift gears automatically with assistance from hydraulic actuators. Thus removing the need for a clutch, leaving your footwell with only two pedals, just like any other conventional automatics. This all makes AMTs considerably cheaper from conventional autos and are gaining popularity in entry level vehicles among customers. This said, AMTs economical convenience comes at a cost - the shift are quite abrupt and you can actually feel the gearbox changing gears. However, they are still pretty much usable and will considerably reduce stress in city traffic.

Source: Autocar India