Did you know that an automatic transmission reduces the risk of wear and tear of the car in the long run? Car buyers in India now prefer the automatic version for their cars, mostly the chauffeur-driven ones. In this article let's have a look at the top ten cars in India to come equipped with the automatic gearbox. Launched in November 2007, this car became an instant hit because of its looks, performance and fuel economy. It comes strapped with either a 1.1L iRDE in-line 4-cylinder or a 1.2L Kappa in-line 4-cylinder motor and a 5-speed manual transmission. However, the 4-speed auto transmission option too is available on the Kappa engine variants. The i10 is one of India's best selling small cars with automatic transmission. Impressed with the sales of its i10 strapped with the automatic transmission, Hyundai introduced an automatic transmission variant in its Verna line-up too. The car maker now confesses that the Verna with the automatic gearbox has taken the company's sales figures to a whole new level.
This was one of the first cars in the C segment to come strapped with automatic transmission. Here too, Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) agrees that sales of the Honda City with automatic transmission is brisker compared to its counterpart having the manual gearbox. Did you know that more than half the number of Accord cars sold in India come fitted with automatic transmission? This shows that the Indian car buyer too has finally realized that choosing a car with auto transmission instead of the variants with manual transmission does not necessarily mean sacrificing mileage and performance. The C-Class contributes to nearly 40 per cent of Mercedes' total sales in the country. Also to be noted, 87 per cent of the C-Class cars sold carry the auto transmission. The car maker also reveals that during the past seven years, it has witnessed a growth in automatic transmission from 60 to 80 per cent.
The Superb comes only in the auto transmission version; it's either a 7-speed Automatic or a 6-speed Triptonic Automatic Transmission. The Skoda Superb happens to be one of the best sellers in the luxury car segment. Sales of the Laura with the auto gearbox have gone up 10 per cent and around 20 per cent of the models sales come from the auto transmission version. The price difference between cars with the manual and automatic gearbox has also narrowed, and customers prefer paying a minimal amount more for the auto gearbox. Demand for an automatic variant forced GM to bring in something that the Indian car buyer wanted and thus was born the Chevrolet Captiva in the automatic avatar. Right now, GM knows for sure that automatic variants sell better than the ones with the manual gearbox. The automatic gearbox in the Chevy Captiva comes with a four-wheel drive. M&M's flagship model, the Scorpio comes in both manual and automatic avatars.
Base variants usually sell better because of the low cost. But in this case, where the Scorpio is equipped with an automatic gearbox only in the high-end variant, sales have turned out to be better for the top-end version than the base one. This auto transmission in the mighty Scorpio is fitted with user engaged and auto engaged modes for first-rate driving experience. Under the user engaged mode is the 'N' and 'W'. While 'N' happens to be the normal mode for ordinary driving conditions, 'W' is best-suited for slippery roads which demand better car stability. The Scorpio also has an additional 'M' mode which is the manual/engine brake mode. It makes use of braking force of the engine for better control on steep dives. The Volkswagen Jetta is available in both manual and automatic versions. However, sales figures reveal that the Indian car buyer prefers the automatic Jetta to the manual version.
Another reason why prospective car buyers may be looking into the purchase of a more fuel-efficient vehicle is due to the environmental ramifications that go along with certain gas guzzling automobiles. The less gas a car uses, the more environmentally friendly that vehicle is. There are a number of different types of pollution which are directly related to automobile use. Therefore, more and more individuals are looking into hybrid vehicles which utilize both electric and gas fuel components to make the car run and are more environmentally sound overall. How many times has one tried to take their vehicle as far as it could go on a single tank of gas so as to avoid having to stop at a gas station to fill up? Most likely the answer is quite frequently. Although filling the car up with a tank of gas does not take a long time to do, it is still an inconvenience to some individuals, especially those who are often running late for one appointment or another.
