All-new Hyundai Venue iMT To Launch In July, Alongside MT & DCT

by Harish Kumar | 04/07/2020
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Hyundai is set to introduce the clutch-less iMT technology for its Venue compact SUV, the first in the Indian industry.

It comes as a big surprise that Hyundai Motor India has recently announced the imminent introduction of a new type of transmission named Intelligent Manual Transmission that will be available in the Venue.

hyundai venue white colour front three quarters

Previously, reports said that this new type of transmission will debut in the Kia Sonet – an all-new sub-four-metre SUV that is expected to be launched before the festive season. However, Hyundai seems to have taken a lead from Kia as the iMT will be introduced in the Venue by the next month itself. With the iMT, Hyundai Venue could have an edge over its rivals in the competition as iMT was known to be one of the biggest USPs of the Sonet.

What is Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT)?

Right from the first news breaking up the arrival of the iMT, it has been creating much buzz among the Indian automobile enthusiasts. The question is, how different it is from a conventional manual, automatic transmission or even an AMT unit. For the uninitiated, the nature of the iMT is like any other automatic gearbox as there’s no clutch pedal on offer.

hyundai's intelligent manual transmission image

With a two-pedal setup, the iMT lets the driver enjoy the convenience of a clutchless drive but still allowing him/her to shift the gears like on a manual transmission. The iMT is basically a manual transmission that has been modified to operate without clutch inputs for the driver. This technology might remind us about the automated manual transmission (AMT) but the two are different in reality.

Albeit having no clutch pedal, Hyundai’s iMT still gets an actuated clutch internally. As revealed by the South Korean brand, the iMT will make use of a new feature that’s called as Transmission Gear Shift Lever (TGS) integrated with an Intention Sensor. When the driver touches the shift lever, the Transmission Control Unit sends the signal to the actuator that the driver is about to switch the gears, thereby engaging the hydraulic actuator to activate the clutch, which is controlled by a Concentric Slave Cylinder (CSC) via a Clutch Tube. In final words, the iMT system will enable its drivers to shift gears without having to mechanically operate the clutch pedal.

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Certainly, this new type of transmission will score better in terms of cost-effectiveness than the regular torque converter or in case of the Venue, a DCT unit. With that in mind, the upcoming Hyundai Venue iMT will be more affordable than the 7-speed DCT model. Currently, the Hyundai Venue 1.0 Turbo Petrol is priced in the range of Rs 8.46 – 11.51 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

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