First time in India, a car brand is going to offer Intelligent Manual Transmission
We have been used to a 3 pedal system in a car, where it is the case of manual transmission. One is clutch, one is brake and the remaining one is accelerator. In case of automatic cars, it is a 2 pedal system, as clutch pedal is absent. Now imagine of a system, where your car has manual transmission, but it still only has two pedals, one brake pedal and one accelerator pedal – just like an automatic car.
At first, you would probably think that it is not possible. But guess what, Hyundai India has just announced this technology for their car in India. Hyundai is calling this Intelligent Manual Transmission or iMT. Such a manual transmission with 2 pedals is already existing globally, but this is the first time we will be seeing it in a car in India.
The first car to get this 2 pedal manual transmission system in India will be Hyundai Venue petrol turbo variant. Hyundai claims that their iMT technology will not compromise on driving pleasure or fun to drive factor – in fact, it will offer quite an engaging drive experience, along with keeping the driver much more relaxed and comfortable.
So how to slot gears without a clutch pedal in a manual transmission car? Well, Hyundai says that you do not need to press the clutch. You can change gears just like you would in a conventional manual transmission car with clutch pedal – but in this system, you do not need to press the clutch pedal. Just use your hand, and slot the gear.
Commenting on the announcement, Mr. SS Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., said, “Hyundai has been driving the adoption of new and innovative technologies at scale. 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 pleasure of driving and also the convenience needed to ease the hectic burden of daily commutes. This unparalleled drive experience on Hyundai VENUE – India’s First Connected SUV has been curated through a constant pursuit of innovation for Customer Delight.”
How does Hyundai iMT work?
– Transmission Control Unit receives signal from TGS Lever Intention Sensor, indicating drivers desire to change gears.
– TCU sends signal to engage Hydraulic Actuator forming Hydraulic Pressure.
– Hydraulic Pressure is then sent to Concentric Slave Cylinder (CSC) through Clutch Tube.
– Concentric Slave Cylinder uses this pressure to control the clutch and pressure plate, thereby engaging and disengaging the clutch.
– Driver is able to seamlessly shift gears without the need to mechanically operate clutch pedal.
Will this affect Mileage?
For many, mileage or fuel efficiency is a deciding factory when buying a car. Many people chose manual transmission over automatic transmission because the former gives better mileage. In case of iMT, is the mileage affected? Hyundai says that there is no compromise on fuel efficiency as well as performance due to iMT when compared to its MT counterpart.
