[rosaf]

Tatas have a history of bouncing back when everyone has written them off.

The same happened when LCV 407 was launched , it was a disaster but after working on it it became a hit and today still is a hit.And also there are other similar examples.

Maruti got the first mover advantage with celerio AMT but Tata probably started working on the AMT much before as RnD takes more time in TaMo.

Bolt and Zest are two products where TaMo doesnt want to repeat history and so launch has been postponed to august which i think is a good move to avoid any niggles and also its the festive season.

These two models will certainly make people listen to Tata and there will be a change in perception.

I for one have cancelled going for honda city and going to get the zest AMT top end.

[volkman10]

Nissan decides to the AMT way!
Expect Sunny, Micra and new models to have it. Next could be the Datsun Go, the Go+ and the Redi Go with automatics in the future.

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...mt-387751.aspx

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Nissan decides to the AMT way!
Expect Sunny, Micra and new models to have it. Next could be the Datsun Go, the Go+ and the Redi Go with automatics in the future.

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...mt-387751.aspx

What a change?!! From a Automatic hated market, in a span of 1-2 years, we are moving to the Automatic loved market. I would NOT have dreamt of this 6 months back!

[ram_hyundai]

Nissan is all out on the tech side but they are losing out heavily due to poor planning.Most of the variants are carrying waiting periods now.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

What a change?!! From a Automatic hated market, in a span of 1-2 years, we are moving to the Automatic loved market. I would NOT have dreamt of this 6 months back!

True. And I would give the credit to Maruti for this change. Just like they brought motoring to the common man, they are now bringing in 'automatic motoring' to the common man!

[ashwin489]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

What a change?!! From a Automatic hated market, in a span of 1-2 years, we are moving to the Automatic loved market. I would NOT have dreamt of this 6 months back!

100th monkey effect

"The hundredth monkey effect is a studied phenomenon in which a new behavior or idea is claimed to spread rapidly by unexplained means from one group to all related groups once a critical number of members of one group exhibit the new behavior or acknowledge the new idea."

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundredth_monkey_effect

[tj123]

Originally Posted by ashwin489

100th monkey effect

"The hundredth monkey effect is a studied phenomenon in which a new behavior or idea is claimed to spread rapidly by unexplained means from one group to all related groups once a critical number of members of one group exhibit the new behavior or acknowledge the new idea."

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundredth_monkey_effect

It is not just monkey effect, nowadays lot of Indians are traveling round the globe and they have experienced the convenience of an automatic. Once a person is used to an autobox then driving a manual is a real pain especially in congested crowded cities.

Automatics have become more reliable, fuel efficient that's the reason people are slowly but surely move away from manual. In 3-5 years time frame Indian will be a 50% automatic/AMT market...I know its a bold statement but I truly believe so, the shift has already began...!

Found an interesting article on why manuals are on there way out !!http://www.caradvice.com.au/253095/b...smissions-way/

[ashwin489]

Originally Posted by tj123

It is not just monkey effect, nowadays lot of Indians are traveling round the globe and they have experienced the convenience of an automatic. Once a person is used to an autobox then driving a manual is a real pain especially in congested crowded cities.

Indians have been travelling around for quite sometime now and have been exposed to automatics even before, but now that number has reached a critical mass.

Furthermore, our cities have been crowded for quite sometime now and people have been complaining for as long as I can remember. But, the switch from manual trannies did not happen as it was not "perceived" to be a sensible/ practical option, until now. Now that enough number of people "believe" in this idea, it is suddenly considered a viable alternative. I say 'believe' because most people that have booked Celerio AMTs have done so just based on ads and perceptions, and not based on established reliability/efficiency of AMTs or even a test drive.

Hence, I believe that the 100th monkey effect explains the sudden acceptance of automatics in our market. That, and of course, Maruti's marketing prowess and clearcut understanding of the Indian consumer psyche.

[audioholic]

Sometime back automatic transmissions were brought by those who specifically wanted its convenience and ease of use. Moreover, past generation automatics were fuel guzzlers and they were poorly spec'ed such as Marutis three speed box, etc. Hence they earned themselves a bad name which didnt do good.

In recent times, automatic cars are purchased by more categories of people - those who want a second car for quick runs, a new driver who gets attracted to the no clutch idea, female drivers who are again relieved of not having to concentrate on clutch and gear, senior citizens and so. Most of the celerios I have seen till date were either driven by women or aged people, abd they were zipping past easily. The same people on a manual car would have stalled it, driven slowly and would have attracted calls from other road users. Though most of the people buying an AMT wouldnt be knowing what the tech is all about, the price difference and the mileage will pull more and more customers.

Hence now, there is a scope for automatics in our country since its regaining the trust it lost in the early days of the automatic in India.

[TMRT]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Sometime back automatic transmissions were brought by those who specifically wanted its convenience and ease of use. Moreover, past generation automatics were fuel guzzlers and they were poorly spec'ed such as Marutis three speed box, etc. Hence they earned themselves a bad name which didnt do good.
...

I am already thinking of upgrading my i10 (barely 3 year old) which also feels guzzler for its size. Merely 10/11 km per liter is bad as compared to the higher benchmarks established by the likes of Celerio. Does anyone have recommendations for an SUV type of AMT vehicle out there on Indian roads or coming out in near future?

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by TMRT

Does anyone have recommendations for an SUV type of AMT vehicle out there on Indian roads or coming out in near future?

M&M is speculated to come with AMT for their Quanto to start with, and maybe more to come.

[Kaumad]

Request to the Moderators
Would it be possible to add a poll on this thread? Just to see and understand if people would be willing to buy an AMT in the future or not.

[srishiva]

Its all about cost and FE. These are the things that the customer cares about in addition to reliability which is not known but hope will be good to make sure it doesn't discourage people later.

The AMTs are inherently lighter than automatics and is an added advantage.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

What a change?!! From a Automatic hated market, in a span of 1-2 years, we are moving to the Automatic loved market. I would NOT have dreamt of this 6 months back!

I dont think the market ever hated conventional ATs. They were treated with fear & suspicion and the cost:benefit ratio was not attractive.

AMTs seem to have hit the sweet spot with the optimum blend of purchase cost, FE penalty and shift speed. Rising standard of living and worsening traffic conditions also factor in

[dass]

Would it be possible to retrofit AMT into the existing cars? Anyone tried that already or in the processing of trying? I mean, is this even possible to start with?