Hyundai Motors India Limited (HMIL) has announced the India debut of the iMT (Intelligent Manual System) on the brand’s popular compact SUV, Hyundai Venue, which was launched last year with Naturally-Aspirated Petrol, Turbo-Petrol and Diesel powertrain options. The 2-pedal clutchless iMT gearbox will be launched in July with the Kappa 1.0-litre T-GDi (Turbo-Petrol) BS6 engine with a 6-speed transmission.
The iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission) works similar to an Automated Manual gearbox (AMT) but give the ability to the driver to shift gears manually without having to engage and disengage the clutch lever. In fact, the vehicle having iMT gearbox does not even have a clutch pedal and comes with only 2-pedals on the floor (Throttle & Brake).
The technology works using a Transmission Gear Shift (TGS) Lever paired to an Intention Sensor that indicates the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) which in turn send another signal to the Hydraulic Actuator that builds hydraulic pressure which is sent to a Concentric Slave Cylinder (CSC) through a Clutch Tube. Using this hydraulic pressure the clutch and pressure plate, engaging or disengaging the clutch. Hence the driver is able to change the gears without having to depress a mechanical clutch lever.
The Hyundai Venue with the Kappa 1.0-litre T-GDi turbo-petrol engine produces 120 PS of power and 171 Nm of torque paired to a 7-Speed DCT transmission. The Venue is also available with a 1.2-litre Kappa naturally-aspirated petrol engine with dual VTVT that produces 83 PS of power and 113 Nm of torque and a 1.4-litre U2 CRDi engine that produces 90 PS of power and 220 Nm of torque.
Through the new iMT technology the driver is able to take all the driving pleasure and control of the manual transmission system without having the fatigue and of constantly engaging and disengaging the clutch pedal.
Hyundai has also announced that the brand has sold more than 1 lakh units of the Hyundai Venue within one year of its launch, out of which 97,400 units have been sold in the Indian market and 7,400 units have been sold abroad.