Until a few years ago, only a few used to buy automatic cars. But, our roads and towns are getting congested and people don’t like constantly changing gears as they drive through traffic. Besides, car-makers have launched automatic variants in top end variants making them more drool-worthy
Photo Credits: WHEELS LEAD
Lester Pinto from Caranzalem, over the years, has driven a number of automatic cars, which includes a Honda Accord automatic a Toyota Camry Hybrid Automatic and a Hyundai i10 automatic. Pinto and his wife recently bought a Hyundai Xcent Automatic. While, most customers go for automatic cars to save themselves from the hassle of manually shifting gears, Pinto said there are more reasons than one to go for an automatic car.
Pinto said, “When you drive in traffic a manual transmission car, you have to keep on pressing and releasing clutch and due to this your knee gets affected. As you age, the chances of your knee getting affected increase. Therefore, I always recommend people to go for automatic cars”
Most people this paper spoke to said that automatic cars give lesser mileage than cars with manual transmission. But, Pinto had a different view on this as he said, “Most people, who drive an automatic car, press accelerator too fast and that’s the reason mileage gets affected. If you press accelerator slowly and gently, then you can get same mileage in an automatic car as you get in a manual transmission car”
The perception about lesser mileage notwithstanding, there is no doubt that automatic cars have really taken the market by a storm in Goa and in larger India in the last one year. Consider the spate of new automatic cars being launched. Hyundai recently launched automatic petrol variant of Creta. Prior to that, Maruti Suzuki launched automatic diesel variant of Dzire. Toyota has recently launched automatic variant of its Innova Crysta.
Consumers in Goa are absolutely loving the efact that there are so many automatic cars to choose from. There are reasons for it. Urban parts of Goa like Panaji, Mapusa and Margao have increasingly become congested in recent years and under such conditions people prefer automatic cars so that they don’t have to change gears and drive relatively stress-free. Shivanand Sakhalkar, senior sales manager, Sai Service, an authorized dealer of Maruti Suzuki, said, “It is in city areas of Goa that we have seen a lot of people going for cars with AGS (auto gear shift).”
Maruti Suzuki has used AGS technology to provide automatic variant of its affordable segment cars like Alto K10, Celerio and WagnoR. AGS is a manual transmission system wherein the clutch and the gear operation is done automatically with the help of a computerised electro-hydraulic mechanism. In short, AGS is automating the manual transmission. There are other technologies as well to manufacture automatic cars like by having a torque convertor, which permanently connects engine and transmission to avoid de-engaging and re-engaging a clutch for changing gears.
Manufacturers are using different technologies to provide automatic cars to consumers across price range. Most car-makers, though, provide an automatic variant only in the top-end variants of cars.
Prashant Joshi, managing director, Goa Motors, an authorised Hyundai dealer, said, “We have seen that people tend to go for fully loaded, top end automatic variants. This is because they want safety and convenience alongwith automatic transmission.” Pinto concurred with Joshi as he said, “The automatic variant of Xcent that we have bought also has top-end features like seats with adjustable height and retractable mirror”
Toyota has launched automatic variants only in its premium cars like Innova, Fortuner and Altis. Toyota doesn’t have automatic options in its more affordable cars like Etios. Hyundai’s strategy is somewhat same as in it does have an automatic variant of its Grand i10 but it doesn’t have automatic options in its most affordable car, Eon.
A dealer also added, “A number of women prefer to go for compact automatic cars because these are easier to drive in traffic”. However, most dealers this paper spoke to said that men and women alike are going for automatic cars. This means that the demand for cars with manually shifting gears is coming down in Goa. It seems that automatic cars are clearly set to win hearts over long run.
