With AMT technology gaining popularity in cars, we give a lucidity about the mechanism taking place behind it. Also, with the growing market for automatic transmissions, Automated Manual Transmission or AMT transmission what it is commonly known as has gained a lot of popularity. Reason being its affordability and simple mechanism. Manufacturers like Maruti and Renault use the AMT transmission more often in their automatic car variants. But do we know what an AMT transmission is? How does it work? And to give transparency about this particular transmission, we give you a brief about it.

The AMT gearbox as the name suggests is an automated manual transmission system that axes out the use of the clutch pedal and gear lever. However, you get a gear lever to select the (N)neutral, (R)reverse and (D)drive modes or else a rotary knob to toggle between the three modes in some cars. But in the case of a stick lever, you can also have the option to manually change the gear in scenarios like driving up a slope or a hill or high-speed overtaking for upshifts and downshifts respectively without the clutch pedal.

Since the use of a clutch pedal is axed out, the sensors and actuators take charge and come into play. The Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the car is linked to actuators that are responsible for inputs and outputs to the transmission system. A pre-programmed gear shift pattern is recorded and stored in the ECU. As the car revs to a certain RPM level, the ECU takes the charge from the actuators and operates both the clutch and gearbox in transition.

On paper, the AMT transmission appears to be smooth and quick but in real-world conditions can be tricky and jerky as well. For instances like high-speed overtaking when you are revving the car to attain high speeds, the pre-recorded gear shift pattern engages gears accordingly. And at higher revs, the gearbox witnesses upshifts which give you ample amounts of head toss along with making it tricky to control the car while overtaking. Needless to say that with an AMT, your left foot operation is at ease which makes your city drives stress-free even in situations like bumper-to-bumper traffic. 

That said, AMT transmission has its own sets of pros and cons but with the worsening traffic conditions, it surely appeals to drivers who are ready to pay a marginal premium over a manual box for stress-free driving with an auto box.