Mahindra displayed its compact MPV, the Quanto, fitted with automated manual transmission (AMT), dubbed as ‘Autoshift’, at the 2014 Auto Expo and is planning to introduce the vehicle by the end of this year. First seen on the Maruti Celerio, an AMT-equipped car gives the option of driving the car like an automatic or a manual, using the same lever. The system does not require a clutch pedal, which means you can leave the stick slotted in auto mode during city drives, and when in mood for taking control of things yourself, you can just slot the lever in the manual mode and enjoy the pleasure of both worlds without troubling your left foot much.
The 5-speed AMT system on the Mahindra Quanto is jointly developed with Ricardo and with its introduction, the homegrown automaker will hope to improve on the sales numbers of the car, which has been a slow moving product until now. Details aren’t available yet if the Mahindra Quanto AMT will come fitted with regenerative braking tech which featured on the car displayed at the Auto Expo. After launching the new Scorpio and looking at their upcoming line-up of launches, Mahindra looks all set to feature in the top-3 car makers list again.