New Delhi. Meanwhile, the demand for automatic transmission (AT) vehicles is increasing rapidly in the country. Despite the high prices, people today choose automatic transmission cars because they have a more comfortable driving experience and better fuel efficiency. Once considered luxury vehicles, these vehicles now account for about 26% of the country’s mass market vehicle sales, up from just 16% in 2020. This information comes from data collected by Jato Dynamics. Due to the increasing traffic in urban and metropolitan cities, people are now switching to such cars which can easily move around in heavy traffic.

According to this data, one in three cars sold in the country’s top 20 cities now has an automatic transmission. However, they cost ₹60,000 to ₹2,000 more than manual transmission cars. Nevertheless, the increasing demand for automatic cars is closing this gap.

AT option in 83 models
The availability of AT options in the market is increasing rapidly. There are currently 83 models that offer the option of an automatic transmission. Major automobile manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hyundai and Kia are promoting their AT models.

Honda’s success and popularity of CVT
Honda Motors, which offers advanced continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) in its cars, generates more than 50% of the company’s total sales from automatic vehicles. According to Honda, about 60% of the company’s cars are sold in CVT variants as the CVT gearbox is not only limited to the top variants but is also available in the lower variants of all models.

Honda’s range includes models such as Elevate, City, City e:HEV and Amaze. These automatic transmission cars are not only more fuel efficient but also offer options from affordable AMT to CVT to high performance DCT.

Increasing popularity among buyers of all categories
The popularity of cars with automatic transmissions is increasing among people of all ages and classes. The main reasons for this are considered to be increasing urbanization, increasing income of people and the increasing trend towards comfortable driving. Car manufacturers assume that this trend will continue to intensify.

continues to rely on imports
Although the demand for automatic transmissions has increased, Indian automobile manufacturers still import most automatic transmissions. Because of this, the cost of automatic cars increases, and when they reach the customer, cars with automatic transmissions become more expensive. However, companies like Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra have localized AMT production, making automatic cars more accessible in the budget segment.

Tags: car news