Guess how many automatic Maruti Suzuki cars are on Indian roads

In yet another proof of how Indian car buyers are increasingly choosing the comfort and ease of an automatic transmission car, Maruti Suzuki on Monday announced it had sold six lakh cars with auto transmission options in the country. Five lakh of these are ones with Automatic Gear Shift (AGS) technology.

Highlighting how the last five years have seen a spurt in sales of cars with automatic transmission, Maruti Suzuki said that it has sold five lakh cars fitted with its Automatic Gear Shift (AGS) technology. This, says the country's largest car maker, began with the introduction of the Celerio AGS option.

Maruti Suzuki now offers cars with Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) and Automatic Transmission (AT) options as well which make for the remaining one lakh in sales numbers. These are spread over 12 Maruti Suzuki cars with AGS option available on Alto K-10, S-Presso, WagonR, Celerio, Ignis, Swift, Dzire and Vitara Brezza. The option of AT is available on the Ertiga, Ciaz and XL6. The Baleno comes with the CVT option.

Highlighting Maruti Suzuki's commitment towards bringing better techonology to its cars in India, Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and CEO, said the number of cars sold with automatic transmission is testament to what buyers are preferring. "This major milestone (selling 6 lakh cars with automatic options) reflects the growing customer acceptance of new technologies that brings comfort and ease of driving. By offering multiple automatic options we are able to cater to diverse customers across segments," he said. "Our automatic technology brings ease of driving, especially in city stop and go traffic, excellent fuel efficiency and affordable price."

Maruti Suzuki also added that while the preference for automatic transmission is across the country, urban centers like Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai have been especially expressing interest in this technology. This could primarily be because of the traffic conditions in major Indian cities which see frequent traffic snarls on roads which may not always be wide enough to accommodate the diverse nature of commuting modes here.