Mahindra – one of India’s leading automakers, and a company with a growing international reach – has chosen the prestigious Delhi Auto Expo to reveal a brand new state-of-the-art five-speed automated manual transmission; the result of a technology and engineering collaboration with Ricardo.
The new Mahindra 5-speed autoSHIFT transmission represents a significant step forward in transmission technology within the Indian automotive sector. Designed specifically to improve the driving experience and fuel economy in the urban environment, the unit incorporates the key efficiency advantages of a manual transmission while providing the smooth comfort and convenience of an automatic.
The Mahindra autoSHIFT incorporates some extremely advanced technologies resulting from the collaboration with Ricardo. These include an advanced electronic control and hydraulic actuation system that senses driver demand and initiates gear changes automatically based on a highly optimized shift map that delivers the best possible fuel efficiency. The new autoASHIFT has been launched for the first time in the 2014 model year Mahindra Quanto compact SUV.
Driving the autoSHIFT provides a rewarding experience, with the ability to switch between automatic and manual mode with just a tap on the lever. As a driver you are now under full control of the vehicle making your own decision to hold on a gear or make quicker or delayed shifts as you might wish, without the need to operate the clutch pedal.
“We are extremely pleased to be able to reveal the brand new Mahindra autoSHIFT 5-speed automated manual transmission, which has been developed through our longstanding and highly successful collaboration with global technology leader Ricardo,” commented Rajan Wadhera, chief executive – technology, product development and sourcing for Mahindra. “The Mahindra autoSHIFT is undeniably a first for the Indian automotive sector in that we have captured the best globally available skills and technologies and created a truly innovative product to be manufactured from the outset, here in India. Developed in partnership with Ricardo, the Mahindra autoSHIFT transmission promises our customers an exceptional automatic driving experience with superb fuel economy – and a fully capable manual mode where demanded.”
“Ricardo is proud to have been able to work with Mahindra on this impressive new autoSHIFT transmission system,” added Ricardo India president Mayank Agochiya. “Ricardo and Mahindra share an ethos of deploying excellence in engineering skills and technology to create highly innovative and market-leading products for customers that set new benchmarks for quality. We are grateful to Mahindra for revealing our involvement in the autoSHIFT transmission and look forward to continuing our collaboration with this leading Indian automaker, and helping to further its strong international ambitions.”
