Maruti Suzuki has been aware of the fact that competing carmakers like Tata Motors and Hyundai have been offering 6-speed manual transmission systems for many of their models in the Indian market. India’s largest carmaker is now working on introducing 6-speed manual transmission units in 2018 itself. As per reports, the first beneficiary may be the newly launched 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift. Some, however, speculate that the upcoming Ciaz facelift which could launch sometime in August 2018, may get the new 6-speed manual transmission unit paired to the 1.5-litre diesel mill that has been developed in-house by Maruti Suzuki.
Check: Used Car Valuation | New Car Prices | Total Cost Of Ownership | Compare Cars
Currently, Maruti Suzuki only has 5-speed manual transmission units on offer for its passenger cars. The 6-speed manual transmission unit did make an entry for the 1.6 litre S-Cross diesel version albeit in its pre-facelift avatar. Maruti Suzuki is reportedly going to start small with initial production targets standing at roughly 50000 units annually.
This will be scaled up steadily and Maruti Suzuki estimates eventual demand to touch anywhere close to 400,000 units each year by 2020. The new 6-speed MT unit is known as the MF30 internally (codename) and should help Maruti Suzuki appeal to more customers. This is because the extra gear goes a long way towards cutting engine load and boosting fuel economy since the car can function at a lower rpm.
