Maruti Suzuki keen on reducing Celerio AMT's waiting period

Maruti Suzuki India is working out on ways to reduce waiting period of Celerio’s AMT version. Celerio AMT presently attracts waiting period of four months which MSI plans of squeezing to a shorter time. While there is no waiting period on the manual transmission of the hatchback except for a few trims that attract waiting period of around eight weeks. Supply constraints of the automated manual transmission from Magneti Marelli from where MSI sources AMT gearbox is being blamed as the primary glitch behind delay in deliveries. Maruti, however MSI is contemplating to shift production to India within a year.

Launched in India during 2014 Auto Expo, Celerio so far has received 57,800 bookings and hatchback’s AMT version accounts for 43 per cent of the total bookings. MSI had increased production of automated manual transmission variant of Celerio from 4,500 to 6,500 units lately, though the slight rise in monthly manufacturing units failed to suffice demand. In May 2014, the company also inducted AMT variant of the hatchback.

Almost six months after its launch, MSI so far has delivered 7,000 units of Celerio AMT and 22,000 units of MT model to customers across the country. Being the first AMT equipped hatchback and vehicle for that matter in India, Celerio has received an immense response from the customers. Priced aggressively, Celerio has turned out to be a preferable vehicle in B segment. Looking at the response for Celerio AMT, MSI is mulling to bring more vehicles will Amt transmission. Tata Motors’ Zest will be the second vehicle in India and first sedan (diesel variant) to be offered with AMT gearbox. Other than Zest, Bolt could also get the AMT tranny and Tata’s petite hatchback, Nano will also get AMT transmission.