Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) today announced that the Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) will make its debut in the popular Venue compact SUV and will be launched this month. The iMT technology is essentially a form of two-pedal technology where the driver doesn't need a clutch to change the gears.
This, however, is different from the AMT gearbox, which can be found in the existing cars like the Hyundai Santro and Hyundai Aura. While Kia Motors was supposed to launch the technology with their upcoming compact SUV Kia Sonet, making it the first car to receive such a technology in India, Hyundai took the lead by introducing this new technology for cars in India.
So what is this Clutchless technology that will be launched in the Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet and how different it is from the AMT gearbox? We explain:
Manohar Bhat, Vice President and Head, Marketing and Sales, Kia Motors India talks on Kia Sonet e-Pedal here-
What is clutchless manual gearbox?
A clutchless manual gearbox, or iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission), as Hyundai is calling this technology, or e-Pedal as Kia is calling it, is essentially a manual gearbox without a clutch. It is a form of two-pedal technology that joins the exhaustive list like automatic transmission, DCT, DSG, AMT among others.
However, unlike the AT and DSG gearboxes, at the heart, the iMT is a manual gearbox, much like the AMT (Automated Manual Technology). In simple terms, it is a manual gearbox without the trouble of pressing the clutch to change the gears. Since it is a variation of manual gearbox, the technology is relatively cheaper than the other forms of automatic gearboxes.
SS Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. said, “With our ‘Future Ready’ business strategy, we have been continuously striving for customer delight with Human-centric technologies that present our innate understanding of what our customers’ desire. iMT is one such technology that accounts for the pleasure of driving and also the convenience needed to ease the hectic burden of daily commutes.
How is it different from AMT?
The iMT or clutchless manual transmission is modified to operate without clutch inputs from the driver thanks to an actuated clutch. However, unlike the AMT gearbox, one can actually change the gears in the 'H' pattern, like systematic changing of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th gears.
On the other hand, in AMT technology, one can't change the gear until put in the manual mode. And in that mode too, the changing of gears is linear and not slot based.
What iMT does is give you pleasure of driving manual car by shifting the gears in the traditional ‘H’ pattern, yet without the hassle of pressing the clutch lever every time one needs to change the gear.
Speaking in terms of technology, the Hyundai iMT transmission will have Transmission Gear Shift (TGS) Lever with an Intention Sensor. When the driver puts his/ her hand on the gear lever, the sensor sends a signal to the Transmission Control Unit and it engages a hydraulic actuator that in turn activates the clutch.
The AMT, on the other hand, has an external unit mounted in the gearbox that changes the gear basis the accelerator input. However, the system has a lot of lag and is not the best two-pedal technology out there. Hyundai, however, has refined this technology further with their Smart-AMT gearbox in the Santro.
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