So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

Attachment 844187 Picture Source Consider the picture above. That rush-hour traffic is a standard part of our lives...at least for those of us who live in the metropolitan cities. These are the exact driving conditions that an Automatic transmission was designed for, and is the most purposeful. Why aren't Automatics more popular in India? Okay, I will have to rephrase that question, as Automatics are actually very popular in the premium segments. It's only the mass market (cars costing less than 10 lakh rupees) that automatics have failed to penetrate the market. Back of the envelope calculations tell me that less than 1% of the mass-market hatchbacks & sedans are sold with an automatic transmission. On the other hand, when it comes to premium cars, Automatic transmissions outsell manuals by a mile. Fact is, you can't even buy most premium cars with a manual gearbox (e.g. Mercedes, BMW, Audi etc.). This question came up in my mind when I was compiling the review of the dual-clutch Fiesta. It only takes one manufacturer to lead the way, and the others will inevitably follow. Not so long ago, ABS was an extremely rare option on sub-10 lakh rupee cars. Now, it's commonplace even with Rs. 4.xx lakh hatchbacks. Thus, it's only a matter of time before dual-clutch gearboxes are offered in other <10 lakh rupee cars. I've also commented in the Fiesta review of how, 5 years back, there was only one Automatic C segment sedan you could buy (the Honda City). Today, there are no less than 6 : Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Maruti SX4, Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Vento & the Skoda Rapid. Additionally, a large number of first-time drivers now own cars, and the learning curve of driving is simply not as steep as that for manual geared cars. So, Why don't YOU buy an Automatic? A poll has been added to this thread; I understand there might be more than one reason, so do choose the ones that are applicable to you (but choose only the most relevant reasons). I'll start with the reasons why I don't have an Automatic in my garage: I'm a lover of manual transmissions. Simple. Therefore, even if the dual-clutch tranny can shift gears faster than Michael Schumacher, I don't care. I love driving way too much, and the gear choosing & changing experience is way too emotional for me to hand that task over to a computer. I will always pick a manual transmission over an AT for the cars that I love to drive. Heck, I even spent 2+ months searching for a used manual transmission car in the States; believe me, it was quite a task in that automatic-dominated market. Equally, I wouldn't mind an Automatic transmission as a local runabout. We use the Tata Indigo for that purpose. It's time to replace the Indigo and, unfortunately, there isn't any diesel automatic hatchback / sedan in the price range we are looking at. A 7 lakh rupee diesel AT would be just perfect for the local errands that the Indigo is used for. I even created a thread on why I think Tata is one of the few manufacturers who can bring a well-priced diesel Automatic to the market : Link to thread. Attached Thumbnails

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