The Hyundai Venue will soon be available in India with an intriguing manual transmission that lacks a clutch pedal.
The car manufacturer refers to the unique setup as an intelligent manual transmission (iMT) that aims to combine the strengths provided by manual and automatic gearboxes into a single system. This gearbox will be mated exclusively to the Venue’s available 1.0-liter turbo petrol engine rated at 120 hp.
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Much like a normal manual transmission, Hyundai’s new system includes a traditional H-pattern gear selector for the six forward gears and reverse. A driver uses this shifter just as they would on a car with a traditional manual ‘box. Where things get strange is the fact that the car only has two pedals.
To make this work, Hyundai uses an intention sensor within the gear lever that tells the transmission control unit (TCU) when the driver is about to change gears. As that happens, the TCU signals a hydraulic actuator to engage and disengage the clutch plate while the driver is shifting gears, Autocar India notes.
“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,” Hyundai Motor India chief executive SS Kim said of the gearbox. “iMT is one such technology that accounts for the pleasure of driving and also the convenience needed to ease the hectic burden of daily commutes.”
Sister company Kia has previously-announced its compact Sonet SUV will also land with the same intelligent manual transmission. It remains to be seen if and when the gearbox will be introduced to other markets.
