Automatic cars are becoming more common in India than ever before and automotive manufacturers are also offering a wide variety of automatic transmissions in their cars.
So, here are some details about the five types of automatic transmissions currently available in Indian cars, this includes Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), Intelligent Manual Transmission (IMT), and Torque Converters.
Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT)
The Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) is very commonly used in performance-oriented cars and it is clearly one of the most advanced gearboxes on the planet. One of the major advantages of the Dual Clutch Transmission is its ability to deliver very fast and smooth gear shifts.
Thanks to fast gear shifts, the lag between gear shifts are kept to a minimum for a sporty driving experience. However, since these gearboxes use two clutches, the weight of the transmission is slightly heavier than other types of gearboxes in this list.
Though the first production Dual Clutch Transmission dates back to 1961 in the Hillman Minx, it is Volkswagen who fine-tuned this technology and successfully implemented it in the 2003 Volkswagen Golf R32.
At present, the DCT gearbox is used in cars such as Hyundai i20, Tata Altroz, Skoda Octavia, Kia Seltos, and many more.
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) used to be a very common type of automatic gearbox in budget cars until the arrival of AMT gearboxes. Unlike other gearboxes in this list, Continuously Variable Transmissions come with an infinite number of gears.
This is because a CVT gearbox uses pulleys and belts instead of gears, and this leads to an infinite number of gears ratios that change according to speed and throttle inputs.
Thanks to this infinite number of gear ratios, the CVT gearbox offers a very smooth drive experience. However, the presence of the ‘Rubber Band’ effect has been the transmission’s biggest weakness.
At present, only very few cars use CVT transmission such as Nissan Magnite, MG Astor, Toyota Camry, Lexus NX350h and a few more.
Automated Manual Transmission (AMT)
The introduction of Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) in the Indian automotive market made automatic cars more affordable and played a vital role in popularising automatic gearboxes.
AMT gearboxes are far more affordable to build and have captured a majority of the market. Recently, the updated Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Toyota Glanza come with an AMT gearbox instead of a CVT gearbox.
Though AMT gearboxes are cheap and offer good fuel efficiency, the gear shifts are not always smooth like other types of automatic transmissions in this list.
At present, AMT gearboxes can be found in a majority of budget cars such as Renault Kwid, Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Toyota Glanza and a lot more.
Intelligent Manual Transmission (IMT)
Well, this is not exactly an automatic transmission, as the user has to shift the gears manually. However, the system uses actuators and software to engage and disengage the clutch when the user is shifting gears.
This type of transmission is not very common and is only used in cars by companies such as Hyundai and Kia.
Torque Converters
Torque Converter gearboxes are very commonly used in a wide variety of cars. This gearbox system uses a type of fluid coupling that transfers power from the engine.
Thanks to this system, torque convertor gearboxes offer very smooth gearshifts and also offer decent shift speeds. However, these transmissions are not as fuel-efficient as some of the other transmission systems in this list.
These transmissions can be found in budget cars like Hyundai Verna to premium cars such as BMW 5 series.
Thoughts About Automatic Transmission
Despite the rising fuel prices in India, automatic transmissions are increasingly becoming common in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Apart from that, manufacturers are now able to add more gear ratios in automatic transmissions to offer better fuel efficiency.
Keyword: Five Types Of Automatic Cars In India: DCT, CVT, AMT, IMT & Torque Converters