[sidindica]

THE A/T MATIC REVOLUTION

!Xobile is back.
Calm, quiet, tall, gora chitta handsome creature is here on an automatic request.
Ladies and gentlemen, after a day, its 25th of December. And !Xobile has automatically requested for a girlfriend as a gift to complete his 25th year of existance.
The secret Santa is very dayavaan, vidyavaan and guniwaan. He is a big vidwaan. And so, exactly after a little over 24 hours, she will emerge. Sunder, sushil, saral. This 3S facility that will be !Xobile's life partner forever has two problems, say with me "twee problems."

1. Number one, she hates driving.
2. And number two, she loves to hold my hand.

!xobile and xobila get married on this cold Christmas night, ready to vroom. This wintery season, for their honeymoon.

"shaadi ki hai, humko to honeymoon chahiye, sheher nahi bus chota sa, ek room chahiye."

But its kinda cold out here.

"Do deewane sheher mein, raat ya dopeher mein, aabodana dhoondetein hain, ek aashiyana dhoondtein hain."

Well, ladies and gentlemen, just married, xobile and xobila are currently driving towards their destination of honeymoon villa, in a quest to start a new life, a new phase of living, a new spirit, a new passion and a new ambition-to become a successful couple automatically.

Xobila is my life, meri jaan, oh meri jaan..and xobile loves her for eternity,forever, and ever, and ever. She is holding my hand, and as usual, time to get cozy. But xobile is driving...wait..driving?

"Hey look, either I can change gears, or I can hold your hand, I cant do both."
Alas. She gives me a tight slap when we stopover for a night coffee.
The next day, here we are, in a cafe coffee day, convincing xobila hard on what to do.
She opens her hidden tresure. And here comes santa, with the keys of a new car.
You know, the key to life is no key, because life begins with a human touch. Life begins automatically....
Ever thought that soft, cozy hand cradling your arms in a world of comfort and ease?
Ever though of that feather touch feet getting cozy with you on that beautiful dark moonlit night?
Ever thought of that moment of glory, that freedom of joy and the feeling of togetherness?
Well, perhaps, the time has come to break free, to bring back the joys of life, to enjoy that cocoon of human touch.

Time to enter the world of automatic transmissions.

Freedom from shifting gears, freedom from constant clutch abuse, and freedom from giving excuses to your better half. Perhaps, beyond technology, its art again.
Rightly said, life begins with a human touch. Touchshift gearboxes, as they are popularly called, are popular round the world for their ease of driving, reducing stress and aiding comfort, especially in today's world full of bhagam bhag and bhag daud. Ever changing lifestyles, increased congestion, in this world of fast moving life, stress levels increase, and so does the pressure inside your mind. Driving to work is perhaps the biggest headache for today's working class. And yet, the best solution to minimise this stress is to get an automatic car. Just slot it into D and let the transmission take care of the rest. Freedom from pressing the clutch, so your left foot is rested. Freedom from changing gears, so your left hand takes rest. All that's left is you, and your better half. Now its time to hold her hand and beat that stress, not to mention, concentrate on your driving more diligently and precisely.

But somehow, automatics had very limited appeal in our country. Reputation for slow pickup, poor mileage and high purchase price have kept potential buyers away, yet this trend is changing, especially in the luxury segment where almost all cars sold are automatics. Thanks to ever emerging technological revolution, automatic gearbox equipped cars now provide manual-like performance and economy, yet their price is a bit high. But when one starts to drive and reep the benefits out of it, it seems fully justified.

Automatics have only recently started to gain in popularity in India, but friends, did you know the long and illustrious heritage behind the A/T matic revolution in India? Well, if you haven't, then perhaps isn't it the right time to go back to recent history and rekindle those glorious days of the Indian automobile industry?

Well, here it is, ladies and gentlemen, a Christmas present to you all from !xobile. Presenting the story of automatic transmission revolution in modern Indian automobile industry, 1983 till present, where we will discuss each and every automatic car that was officially launched and sold here, from a cheap hatchback to a uber luxury car.

Perhaps, its time to buckle up and enjoy this journey A/T matically. Because its your life. Make it large.



Talk about having your own cake and eating it too.

[camchennai]

I guess the first automatic car to be launched in India in Ceilo and post which it was Benz.

After Cielo and Benz, no other manufacturer came up with this initiative of offering AT for a long time. Then Toyota came up with AT Corolla and Camry.

I am not sure whether Opel offered AT, can someone confirm please??

I love to buy a AT, however fuel consumption is the only factor which is keeping me away from it. I have driven Altis AT and it is sheer pleasure.

[svsantosh]

I loved the cielo ad, purely aimed at a 30's couple, who were searching the lost romance in them, lady saying something like 'he just wants to hold my hand - liar' when they zoom on the auto-stick. Neat ad!!

[aktarcar]

excellent write up like always.The automatics are here to stay, with the ever increasing traffic and more stressful lifestyle.Hooked to this thread , waiting for a nice read.

[isldhn]

Hey Sid,
Another scoop coming up or one of those 'dedication' threads for A/T's in India. I Think and wish for the former though.

Safari in an automatic avatar..mmmm.

[nitinralli]

I always had this question. Is Auto gearbox expensive to maintain than a manual one? Is this the reason why in India Auto was never a good choice? I hope in this thread started by Sid, these questions will be answered.
Anyways, SID, thanks for opening this thread. I would closely looking at it as i am myself looking to buy Cruze AT soon and hence would like to clear few doubts before i buy it.
Cheers.

[ACM]

Sid great start - waiting for the Cielo to appear in your story.

AT's are fun and I trully wish it was an option on all cars.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by camchennai

I guess the first automatic car to be launched in India in Ceilo

Nope, that would be the Maruti 800 Automatic. Was available in the late 1980s.

[av8er]

Originally Posted by GTO

Nope, that would be the Maruti 800 Automatic. Was available in the late 1980s.

WHAT? Maruti 800 Automatic

I never knew that. That is shocking news to me.

[1-Testosterone]

Yes, it was available to only disabled people and back then, they would need you to show disability certificate in order to get automatic maruti 800.

[blackasta]

I am all ready and buckled up. Bring it on!
P.S - for a second I thought sid is penning his experience on the mitsu evo x.

[autobahner]

Originally Posted by camchennai

I guess the first automatic car to be launched in India in Ceilo and post which it was Benz.

After Cielo and Benz, no other manufacturer came up with this initiative of offering AT for a long time. Then Toyota came up with AT Corolla and Camry.

I am not sure whether Opel offered AT, can someone confirm please??

I love to buy a AT, however fuel consumption is the only factor which is keeping me away from it. I have driven Altis AT and it is sheer pleasure.

Hi camchennai,

We indeed have Opel Astra sold with an auto box I think it was a 3 speeder. I think the decal on the boot read ASTRA 1.6 AT. But if someone else has more details I sure would appreciate the same.

[Live To Jive]

Originally Posted by GTO

Nope, that would be the Maruti 800 Automatic. Was available in the late 1980s.

Originally Posted by 1-Testosterone

Yes, it was available to only disabled people and back then, they would need you to show disability certificate in order to get automatic maruti 800.

I remember seeing one of these. I was only sold to disabled persons. However some people sold them to non-disabled people.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by GTO

Nope, that would be the Maruti 800 Automatic. Was available in the late 1980s.

Yup. A family friend had it. He knew a disabled person who he wanted to employ as a driver. That's why he bought it. And at that time, it was never called Automatic. It was just a special order cars for disabled people.

[jesal]

i left manuals since 2005. they are useless with small engines. 1.5 liters with 80 bhp doesnt make sense. so took the plunge and got a honda city CVT. loved it so much went on and got a i10 Auto, got used to it and got a honda civic auto and now a vento AT on waiting. i aint going back to manuals in bombay unless its some big engined car with lots of power.