Maruti Celerio Automatic More Popular Than Manual

Fifty one. That's the percentage of Maruti Celerio automatic cars that have been booked compared to its manual variant. Maruti Celerio, launched on February 6, 2014 has been receiving some 1000 odd bookings everyday and over 500 of them are automated manual transmission (AMT) variants.

This is the first time in India that an automatic car has performed better than a manual. So, in a way Maruti has made history. In fact, even Maruti had not anticipated such demand for its AMT variant, which is a first in India. The automaker only expected 25-30 percent of Celerio sales to be automatics, but the reality has far exceeded their expectations.

Also Read: Upcoming Car Launches In 2014

Speaking to FE, Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava commented, "This is the first time we have launched AT in this segment. Who would have thought that we would straightaway get 51 percent bookings for AT models. Now, there will be a waiting period as the automatic transmission parts are being imported. We will import it for the first year and localise it after a year."

There are couple of reasons for the success of the Celerio AMT. The first being AMT offers the same mileage as the manual variant, which is usually not the case with automatics.

Secondly, Maruti has managed to sell the automatic Celerio at a premium of just Rs 39,000 over the manual. Once again, this is a first, as usually automatic variants cost around a lakh more than manual variants.

Maruti Celerio has set a good stage for upcoming AMT models from other manufacturers such as Tata Bolt, Zest, Nano & Mahindra Quanto.