Doesn't India Need Diesel Automatics?

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Just thought of sharing my view on-Why India isn't getting much Diesel Automatics?

Brands having diesel automatics-
Maruti Suzuki (AMT)-Celerio,Swift
Hyundai (DCT)-Verna,Creta,Elantra,Tucson
Honda (CVT)-Amaze (Facelift 2018)
Renault-Duster,Captur(Not sure with that)
Volkswagen (DSG)-Vento,Passat,Jetta,Tiguan
Skoda(DSG)-Rapid,Octavia,Superb
Mahindra(Torque converter)-XUV500
Toyota-Crysta,Fortuner
TATA-Nexon (am not sure whether there is a diesel AMT)
Ford-Endeavour

All high end brands-Mercedes,BMW,Audi,etc

I do understand that the Indian market is a mix of Urban,Semi-Urban,Rural regions and preference is more for manual options .Some brands must definitely take a notice that in urban areas ,there is a shift to automatics ,and those with higher running would definitely prefer taking a diesel automatic.

I am expecting TAI fellow members to comment on which all rides you would expect to see Diesel automatic.(A poll thread may be created later on )

My choice is to see Diesel auto option from stables of Ford.(As there is only Ford endeavour)

 

[adivik]

Re: Doesn't India need Diesel Automatics

You left Swift/ Dzire Diesel AMT, Brezza AMT's, plus TUV 300 AMT, TATA Hexa TC and Tata Nexon has an Diesel AMT. Verna/ Creta are TC not DCT.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Re: Doesn't India need Diesel Automatics

Swift i have mentioned sir ,anyways thanks for adding the information.

 

[ankathil.arjun]

Automatics are a new trend in India. In the last few years with the traffic congestion increasing in the cities, more and more people are opting for automatics.
However, we have also seen a recent shift in market trends with more people opting for petrol cars. Its assumed by the manufacturer, that most of the people buying diesel cars would be using it mostly on the highway, where there is a preference for manual transmission.
Earlier, the cheapest diesel automatic was the Mahindra Scorpio, later moved by the Hyundai Verna. Honda took its time to come to the diesel segment and very recently came with the diesel automatic combination for the Amaze.
In the recent times, the trend is changing. Though, we don't see many options in the hatch back segment other than the Swift and Ignis with diesel AMT, in the compact sedan segment, we are seeing a lot of new additions. The trend was started by Tata with Zest AMT, and then we had the Swift Dzire AMT from the last variant which has been continued after the facelift. The other options in the segment are the Ameo DSG and the Amaze CVT. Tata is also offering AMT on the Nexon, Mahindra has AMT on the TUV300, and recently Brezza has been launched with AMT.

Yes, it did take longer to come as compared to the petrols, but now the trend is catching up. The manufacturers sell based on market demands, the demand for diesel automatics has come up now , and they are bringing in cars to meet up with demand.

 

[SilverEyez]

Nice thread @Vishnu
I would like to see:
Honda City Diesel ZX DSG (NO AMT/CVT)
Suzuki Baleno RS DSG (Not the CVT)

 

[vijay]

Nice thread @Vishnu
I would like to see:
Honda City Diesel ZX DSG (NO AMT/CVT)
Suzuki Baleno RS DSG (Not the CVT)

With indian market and price point at which companies are offering their variants dont expect to see DSG units comingup soon apart from germans for indian market.
Good thread!!

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Another peculiar point of interest irrespective of Petrol/Diesel Automatic- Most brands doesn't offer their Automatic variants in a FullOption trim ,but a trim just below the Full option.Why?
See,say i am having an elite i 20 full option diesel,am planning to buy Verna Crdi full option,i don't get the existing features i had in my i20 like Push button start,etc.

This does kill the Market values of automatics.

 

[SilverEyez]

With indian market and price point at which companies are offering their variants dont expect to see DSG units comingup soon apart from germans for indian market.
Good thread!!

I totally agree with you,
but i find it strange that top 3(Maruti,Honda & Hyundai) contributors to the overall Indian sales figures doesn't have a DSG whereas the Germans can produce DSG cars(POLO, VENTO) with competitive prices in Indian markets.

 

[ankathil.arjun]

Another peculiar point of interest irrespective of Petrol/Diesel Automatic- Most brands doesn't offer their Automatic variants in a FullOption trim ,but a trim just below the Full option.Why?
See,say i am having an elite i 20 full option diesel,am planning to buy Verna Crdi full option,i don't get the existing features i had in my i20 like Push button start,etc.

This does kill the Market values of automatics.

One of the main reasons for brands to do this is to cap the maximum price of the car. They try to make sure that the top end manual variant remains the top priced, and they avoid keeping a wider price range for a model. Most of the time, the discussion would be that a person purchased so and so car for this price. Many rarely discuss the variant and transmission. Going by this, suppose a person mentions that they purchased a car for 15 lacs, which maybe the top end automatic version, a less informed buyer would not even consider the car, for a budget of 10 lacs. However, there maybe a base petrol variant in the budget. The person may not even consider the car, so the salesman loses on the opportunity to make the sales pitch. A person who wishes to get a particular car in automatic may still buy the car in a lower variant. This was also one of the reason that the Figo sport was launched in the Titanium variant and not the Titanium plus. Also, most of the limited edition versions of Maruti comes on the mid variant, so that the max price remains capped, and the range does not vary much in between variants.

Now, back to the topic, there are rumors, that the Ciaz and Ertiga may also get AMT, as it has been successfully integrated with the 1.3 Multijet with VGT, in the Brezza.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

The AMT is just designed for those who primarily just drive to get a job/errand done.Its not for enthusiasts.
I am sure that Maruti will update the automatic technology in 2-3 years time (Baleno is CVT unit,as its mainly targeted for 2nd time owners /Enthusiasts)

As i had mentioned,the brands need to bring in its models in top end trim for automatics also,atleast after a couple of months after its launch.

 

[ankathil.arjun]

I think mating a CVT with a turbo charged engine is a little tricky. The sudden boost in torque due to the turbo lag, will lead to a more prolonged rubber band effect. This is one of the reasons that Honda Amaze CVT, has a different tune for the diesel engine, where it has 20bhp lesser power and 40Nm lesser torque. This has been done to minimize the turbo lag in city driving conditions, so that the rubber band effect does not come up during a regular drive.

A similar approach maybe needed for other engines also, to give a smooth performance with CVT.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Another update ,New Creta-2018 also doesn't have Diesel automatic in SX(O)-full opt trim.

 

[GautamJ]

Nice thread @Vishnu
I would like to see:
Honda City Diesel ZX DSG (NO AMT/CVT)
Suzuki Baleno RS DSG (Not the CVT)

Honda’s are know to outlast their owners and then the DSG isn’t really a reliable technology at least here in India IMHO. So I don’t think they will ever come up from CVT.