Maruti keen on offering automatic transmission option across model range
India’s numero-uno car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki has witnessed yet another successful year in the market. Sales have been rising month-on-month and the Japanese manufacturer has rolled out a host of new cars as well updated existing ones. With every one in four cars the Japanese giant sells being an automatic, it is hard to see why the car maker is bullish on this transmission option.
The car manufacturer is now looking at offering Automatic Transmission (AT) variants across its entire product range. This is in-line with rising demand even in the lower segments, such as the Alto and the Celerio.
Maruti already offers an AMT variant in these two cars, while the Ciaz, Ertiga, DZire and Ritz are currently available with an automatic option. The newly-launched Baleno comes with a CVT transmission as an option.
Thus, apart from the Swift hatchback and the S-Cross premium crossover, the budget hatch – Alto 800 is the only remaining to get one.
Mr. CV Raman, the Executive Director, Engineering at Maruti categorically stated in a report featured in the Financial Express that the market leader is indeed observing the way the scenario is playing out. Further, the car maker is aiming to offer two-pedal technology across their model portfolio in a bid to give customers the opportunity to choose as per their preference.
Of the three cars mentioned above, the higher pricing for an automatic transmission would negate the Alto 800’s cost advantage, thereby reducing the possibility of customer demand staying justifiable for a production run.
On the other hand, demand for the diesel-only S-Cross isn’t high enough, and adding an automatic option to the premium priced crossover would simply price it out of the market. Which leaves us with the Swift, and given that the DZire is already available in a four-speed Automatic Transmission option, it is only a matter of time before the hatch too gets the same.
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