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Suzuki's Celerio City Car Getting Automated Manual Gearbox

As always, the automobile industry is constantly evolving and as a result, even Indian manufacturer Maruti Suzuki might be making a  big change. There is a rumor that the company has plans to bring something new to its upcoming hatchback, the Celerio.
2013 Suzuki A:Wind Concept 1 photo
Photo: Suzuki
It appears that this particular car that is destined to replace the Estilo and the A-Star might be receiving a clutch-less transmission called the Automated Manual Transmission.

The rumor came from Economic Times and according to it, the said technology will allow the driver to shift gears like a manual transmission, without actually engaging a clutch. So, by eliminating the clutch pedal they hope to make the driving experience easier in a stop-go traffic situation. Also, the car will be more appealing to everyday drivers.

All in all, since it’s just a rumor, we’ll have to wait until the Auto Expo in February to see the Celerio. If it turns out that they did introduce a clutch-less manual transmission, interested Indian drivers will be happy yo know that the car will be quite affordable as the AMT is not as expensive as an automatic.

The Celerio is going to be Suzuki's A-segment global hatchback and should be coming to Europe as well, replacing the Alto. The car has already been previewed by a near production ready concept (picture above) and will go on sale later this year. Small cars are increasingly taking on automatic gearbox options. Notable models in this class that that also have automated manual gearboxes include the smart fortwo and the Fiat 500.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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