Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) recently marked a significant achievement by crossing the 10 lakh sales milestone for its automatic transmission vehicles. This accomplishment comes since 2014 when the company introduced the Auto Gear Shift (AGS) system. Key regions contributing to this remarkable feat include Delhi & NCR, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, and Kerala.
MSIL’s automatic transmission lineup comprises four distinct systems: Auto Gear Shift (AGS), 4-speed Automatic Transmission (AT), Advanced 6-speed Automatic Transmission (AT) equipped with Steering Mounted Paddle Shifters, and Electronic-Continuous Variable Transmission (e-CVT). These options are spread across 16 different models.
The 5-speed AGS gearbox is available in models such as the Alto K-10, S-Presso, Celerio, WagonR, Ignis, Swift, Dzire, Baleno, and Fronx. Additionally, the 4-speed automatic transmission is offered in the Jimny and Ciaz. The advanced 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters can be found in the Fronx, Brezza, Ertiga, XL6, and Grand Vitara. The e-CVT technology is exclusively available in the intelligent electric hybrid models of the Grand Vitara and Invicto.
According to an MSIL press release, 65% of the automatic vehicles sold by the company are equipped with AGS technology. Automatic transmission models account for 27% of total MSIL automatic sales, while the Hybrid e-CVT transmission constitutes about 8% of MSIL automatic sales.
Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales at Maruti Suzuki India, noted the continuous growth in automatic car sales. He stated that they are close to reaching the one lakh automatic vehicle sales mark for FY23-24 in the middle of the financial year.
Interestingly, NEXA customers tend to prefer high-end automatic variants, while Arena customers lean towards mid-variants in their purchase decisions. Currently, NEXA contributes about 58% of automatic car sales at MSIL, while Arena accounts for approximately 42% of these sales.