Kia Sonet Clutch-Less Manual Gearbox To Make India Debut

Tata Altroz Manual Transmission — It will have the same stick shift layout like this but without the clutch pedal

Yes, you read that right. Kia Sonet is getting a clutch-less manual transmission. The South Korean carmaker is working on this technology since a long while. They are finally ready to make its debut with the new compact SUV.

No, it’s not like an AMT transmission. It has the regular stick shift manual gearbox and you can change the gears yourself without using the clutch pedal, which is not present in the car. It has only the brake and accelerator pedals on the floor board.

The only thing you need to do while shifting the gears is press a button on the gear lever then shift. It’s like a small button which you generally see on automatic gear levers.

With this new technology, there will be not stress of using the clutch repeatedly in traffic and on the upside you have the control over the gears. Moreover, this gearbox will offer better fuel efficiency than automatics.

A few weeks back we were discussing about manual and automatic transmissions and how the preference is shifting to automatics in the crowded cities. Will this new clutch-less tech offer the best of both worlds? We’ll only get to know once we drive it but until then it looks like an interesting new innovation in the Indian market.

The Kia Sonet was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020 in a concept form. It is likely to hit the showrooms by August if there is no delay in production.