[GTO]

At the Ritz launch, I posed a question to Maruti as to why they don't sell automatics in India (hatchback segment). Pop came the reply "We sell the WagonR A/T and the sales are dismal".

I had to scratch my head, WagonR automatic? Where? Struck me a little later that the WagonR is sold with a lousy 3 speed auto. And Maruti really doesn't market it at all. How will it sell, might I ask?

I've said this earlier, and will say it again : Automatics make immense sense in our bumper to bumper driving conditions. Its only a matter of time before they increase in popularity. Kudos to Hyundai for offering affordable 4 speed autos (Santro, i10, i20, Verna etc.).

Does anyone remember this thread?

[riteshritesh]

Do these small cars even sell in Dubai? I have not yet seen such cars on road, but then the last I visited was 2 years ago.
From my perception, these must be a hit with Asians/budget conscious people who are not so well placed in their jobs.
Most of the people I know, and who are a working class, use bigger, better and gas guzzling cars.

[Dippy]

Nice pictures Parm. I observed one thing on the gear console. It says 3D. That means these AT boxes are 3 speed? If so its best that these are not sold in India. Maruti's three speed trannys are pahtetic to say the least and horribly unreliable. I'm not surprised why the Wagon R didnt sell. Sad part is when you take a Zen AT or so with a gearbox issue to the service centre, they all raise their hands and say " But Sir its an automatic". I mean arent you guys meant to be trained on ATs? And I'm talking about one of Maruti's big dealers in the country. Shoddy and step motherly treatment to AT cars is not what I would except from the country's largest car maker.

[Ramsagar]

Cars mfd in India are being exporting to other countries
When will we get these AT models?
Hate the gear shift popping out of the console.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Dippy

Maruti's three speed trannys are pahtetic to say the least and horribly unreliable.

What are the exact problems, Dippy? You'd know first hand having owned a Zen AT.

[Dippy]

Originally Posted by GTO

What are the exact problems, Dippy? You'd know first hand having owned a Zen AT.

Having owned two Maruti ATs over the years, have experienced the same tranny problems over my years of ownership.

The first I owned was a Maruti 800 AT with a two speed slush box. Gear oil leaks surfaced pretty much after the 50k mark. Sourcing the parts was a problem and Maruti would never give a definate date for getting them. Finally had to resort to an outside mechanic who pretty much sourced the gaskets and other parts required with days of me giving him the car. How can a local mechanic get the parts and Maruti cant?


The Zen three speed was no different. Though it worked well till around 70k kms, it eventually started jerking unevenly when shifting, gear oil leaks surfaced again and finally the tranny started working like a CVT with no feel of the shifts whatsoever. As usual Maruti would put up their hands up saying "Its an AT" . I swore I would never buy a Maruti AT product again seeing the step motherly treatment dished out to them.

I really hope Maruti has moved on from those times and now are trained properly to handle ATs. The SX4 Automatic launch is not far away.

[samsan02]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

Is it possible to have the best of both worlds, I mean an MT & AT? I may sound stupid

Honda City has paddle shifts in A/T version where you can also manually shift gears sequentially up or down like you do in a bike.

Ofcourse it would be more fun to drive if car makers could make 1st, 2nd gears as automatic for crawling traffic and gave 4 more gears for manual shifting

[esteem_lover]

It is not just ATs, it is about the gearbox itself. I doubt if any MASS would be able to identify/rectify any gear box issues. Till today the gearbox is alien to MASS. There are plenty of other local guys who are more capable than maruti in this aspect.

[MCR]

A-Star is bought in Europe by young people who commute to office or to college. Normally the families have 2 to 3 cars. One of these will defenitely be a Sedan or SUV for long drives. In India, most people buying A-star are first time buyers. So buyers look for more space for luggage and people, grossly missing in A-star. I initially thought that it was based on M800.

[TeddyBear]

Indica Vista ignis variant is made in india, sold in South Africa but not available in India

[VINUMON]

Originally Posted by riteshritesh

Do these small cars even sell in Dubai? I have not yet seen such cars on road, but then the last I visited was 2 years ago.
From my perception, these must be a hit with Asians/budget conscious people who are not so well placed in their jobs.
Most of the people I know, and who are a working class, use bigger, better and gas guzzling cars.

I can't hazard a guess on Dubai, but I do find Swifts, GVs and Sx4s here in Qatar. And let me tell you, it's not that only Indian hands are drivin them.

[SirAlec]

I have heard that they even make Swift 1600 and sell them in europe.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Dippy

The first I owned was a Maruti 800 AT with a two speed slush box.

I have seen automatic 800 but i never knew it was two speed transmission, How was it to drive?

[ahuja365]

I would just love to get an a star automatic but atleast a four spped one and not the old three spped one.If Maruti can offer a good automatic with genuine price it sure can succeed coz the market has matured.The people who think automatic is boring are right but just want to remind them that our driving conditions are more pathetic so car manufacturers bring on good automatic transmission.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I have seen automatic 800 but i never knew it was two speed transmission, How was it to drive?

Ya it was 2 speed - slow and real slow!
In reality - I am also in the same league - never knew that a M800 A/T existed until I heard of one in TBHP. I guess I heard that it was only available on special order (please correct me if I am wrong).