Automatic Advantage: Maruti Suzuki Celerio AMT outsells manual gearbox version?

Maruti Suzuki has unleashed a marketing blitz for the Celerio equipped with the automated manual transmission. The Celerio is Maruti Suzuki’s latest car launch and is aimed at small car buyers in India. The AMT is a new technology that Maruti Suzuki has introduced for the first time in the Indian car market. Notably, the Celerio is the first Indian car to feature the AMT, also known as the semi-automatic gearbox.

The car also comes with a 5 speed manual gearbox option. A 1 liter K-Series petrol engine that outputs 67 Bhp-90 Nm is standard on all variants of Maruti’s latest hatchback. From the looks of it, Maruti Suzuki’s marketing blitz for the Celerio AMT seems to be paying off. According to ZigWheels, Maruti Suzuki dealers across the country have been selling more Celerio AMTs than the manual gearbox equipped variants.

With this development, the Celerio could be the first automatic gearbox equipped car in the sub-10 lakh rupee space to hit it off big as India has traditionally been a manual gearbox market, especially in the budget segments. With more car makers such as Tata Motors, Mahindra and Volkswagen all set to join the AMT bandwagon, the semi=automatic gearbox could finally have its time in the sun in the next couple of years. Click here for 6 upcoming cars with AMT technology.

Maruti Suzuki’s marketing push and sharp pricing for the AMT equipped Celerio are possible reasons for car buyers choosing AMT equipped variants over manual gearbox versions. Also, AMT equipped cars are more fuel efficient that those equipped with conventional torque converters. With India being a highly fuel efficiency conscious market, the allure of higher efficiency is a factor that won’t be misplaced on Celerio AMT buyers. 

Maruti Suzuki is developing a compact sedan based on the Celerio. Click here for CarToq’s exclusive render.

Designed as a replacement to the A-Star/Global Alto worldwide, the Celerio is more spacious than the A-Star, another factor that will boost its prospects at the hustings. The car’s manual gearbox equipped variants start at 3.9 lakh rupees while the AMT equipped variants starts at 4.29 lakh rupees. Want a quick wrap up of what the Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) technology is all about? Don’t miss the exclusive CarToq video we’ve lined up for you!