Maruti Suzuki may introduce an AT (automatic transmission) option across all its models. The Indo-Japanese automaker currently offers an automated manual transmission for its budget models like the Celerio and Alto K10. The Ertiga, Dzire, Ritz and Ciaz are offered with a four-speed in the petrol variants while the Baleno gets a CVT. Missing from the list is the Alto 800, S-Cross and the Swift.
The company has said that AT spec models on an average comprise 25 per cent of their total sales and in the case of the Celerio, which was the first model to debut this technology, the AMTs makeup for more than 40 per cent of the total numbers.
A report from the Financial Express quotes CV Raman, executive director engineering at MSIL, as saying that the company was watching the market and aims to have some form of two-pedal technology in each segment to provide the customers with a wider choice.
In the Indian model range, we currently get the S-Cross only with diesel engines and so it seems unlikely that it will get an AT option anytime soon. The price of the Alto 800 would become too high if an AT option were introduced leaving us to believe that the Swift will be the next car to get the AT option. Since the Dzire is already offered with a four-speed AT, we believe that the Swift too will get this option as is the case in most European markets.
Source: FE
