Maruti Suzuki India has sold over 1 lakh auto-gear shift (AGT/AMT) equipped models so far in the country, and now is planning to offer this gearbox in more models. The Maruti Suzuki Swift could be the next product to get an AGS model, reveals our sources. The vehicle could be launched post the launch of Swift special edition that is scheduled to launch either this month or the next. The Vitara Brezza AMT model is also in pipeline that we expect to be rolled out in the festive season.
The company saw a growth of 82% in sales of automatic manual transmission in the last fiscal. The Indo-Japanese carmaker sold over 54,700 units of AMT-equipped cars in 2015-16. Interestingly, AMT variants contribution in the overall sales of Celerio is over 50 per cent. Seeing the overwhelming response for AMT models, the company has recently started a manufacturing facility to develop 1.20 lakh AMT units annually with its partner Magneti Marelli. With more AMT models coming in this year, the company expects to further consolidate its position in the automatic/AMT segments.
Coming to the Maruti Swift AGS/AMT, the vehicle will continue to feature the existing powertrains. Though there is no clarity whether the petrol or diesel model of the Swift will receive this technology, we expect it to be a diesel AMT just like its sibling Dzire. The Swift diesel features a 1.3-litre multijet diesel unit that is good for 74bhp and 200Nm.