Maruti Suzuki Ignis Automatic Launched In Alpha Variant

Maruti Suzuki has introduced automatic transmission in the Alpha trim of the Ignis. The Ignis Alpha petrol AMT costs Rs 7.01 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) while the Ignis Alpha diesel AMT is priced at Rs 8.08 lakh. The AMT option costs about Rs 54,000 more than the comparable 5-speed manual transmission variants.

Other than the Dzire, the Ignis is the only car in the company's portfolio to have an automatic transmission available with both the petrol and diesel engines. Recently, the carmaker also added the Alpha variant of the Baleno petrol automatic to the list. The new Dzire was launched with automatic transmission in top variants as well. Now, the Ertiga is the only car in the company's line-up with the two-pedal plus petrol engine option not available in the fully loaded variant.

Automatic transmissions are the de-facto choice in western markets, but they didn't gain traction in India until Maruti Suzuki took the initiative. Poor fuel economy and the high cost of acquisition and repairs were the reasons that prevented traditional automatics from becoming popular in our country. The ingenious AMT addresses all of these concerns and Maruti deserves credit for making automatic transmissions common in India. Even other car manufacturers like Tata, Mahindra, Renault and Nissan have embraced this cost-effective technology. The acceptance of AMT has also resulted in a positive perception towards other two-pedal technologies such as torque converter, dual clutch and continuously variable transmission.

The company's automatic lineup starts at the humble Alto K10 VXi AMT, at Rs 4.1 lakh, and stretches up to the Ciaz Alpha petrol automatic, which costs Rs 10.42 lakh.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Ignis 1.2 Zeta AMT: Road Test

Maruti Suzuki Launches Baleno Alpha Petrol Automatic