The Hyundai Venue will debut the new iMT gearbox which is essentially a clutchless-manual gearbox and now Hyundai has announced that it will be offered in more cars in their turbo-petrol variants. The Verna and Creta could soon be on the cards.
Earlier this month, we reported to you that Hyundai will soon be launching a new clutchless-manual gearbox option on the Venue. Dubbed as the iMT (intelligent manual transmission), this new technology will first debut on the Venue but Hyundai has now announced that it will soon be introduced on more Hyundai cars as well. Originally, it was the Kia Sonet that was supposed to debut the clutchless-manual gearbox but then Hyundai announced it for the Venue and now it will be seen in a lot of Hyundai and Kia cars.
So what is this iMT essentially? Well, you can think of it as a hybrid between a manual and automatic gearbox. The clutch pedal is completely gone but the task of shifting the gear still remains with the driver, like with a conventional gearbox. The iMT essentially automates the functionality of the clutch pedal, thus eliminating the physical need of a clutch pedal. Hyundai says that this system uses an ‘intention sensor’ with the gear lever that informs the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) when the driver intends to change gears. The TCU then signals a hydraulic actuator to engage and disengage the clutch plate while the driver shifts gears.
Earlier, Hyundai had announced that the iMT gearbox will solely be offered with the 120hp, 1.0L turbo-petrol engine of the Venue, at least initially. After the Venue, it will be the Kia Sonet that will be launched with the iMT gearbox. The Sonet will get the exact same powertrain options as the Venue. Thus, even in the Sonet, the iMT gearbox will only be offered on the turbo-petrol variant. Now that Hyundai has said more cars will be offered with this gearbox, its safe to assume that turbo-petrol versions of the Verna, Creta and Seltos will also be offered with this gearbox.
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So with this new iMT gearbox, you get the traditional benefits of not having to operate a clutch pedal and you only left with a two-pedal system. That’s really a boon in stop-start traffic situations within the city. However, as the driver is still empowered with the task of changing the gears, you do not lose out on the joy of driving and driver engagement. Hyundai also states that iMT will enhance convenience “without compromising on fuel efficiency and performance” like a torque-converter automatic transmission.
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Over the longer run, it is expected that the gearbox will not be limited to just the turbo-petrol cars but it will also be offered on the diesel and naturally aspirated petrol versions of Hyundai and Kia cars. We expect these iMT equipped cars to launch in the coming months. What remains to be seen is how this new iMT gearbox really performs and whether it really combines the convenience of an automatic along with the driver engagement of a manual gearbox. We hope to drive the Venue iMT soon. So stay tuned until then.
