Rumour: Maruti WagonR Stingray to get AMT

In our September article, we had reported that Maruti Suzuki was planning to introduce an automated manual transmission (AMT)-equipped variant of the WagonR hatchback. Media reports now suggest that the company is readying a Wagon R with AMT.

Maruti Suzuki has had a lot of success with the Celerio AMT. Seeing the demand for the AMT, the company carried over the technology to the recently launched Alto K10 and now plans to do the same with the Wagon R. Maruti, however, intends to use the technology only in the Stingray edition of the car.

An AMT gearbox does not need a clutch to be depressed, thus making driving the car relatively stress-free, particularly in heavy traffic. The transmission is not as expensive as a conventional automatic, making cars equipped with it not much more expensive than their manual siblings. The Wagon R Stingray AMT is likely to cost Rs. 30,000-35,000 more than the manual.

The Wagon R Stingray is powered by a 3-cylinder, 998 cc K10B petrol engine that develops 67 bhp @ 6200 rpm and 90 Nm of torque @ 3500 rpm. This is the same engine that is used in the Celerio and Alto K10.

Source: Autocar India