The decision would, however, be based on customer demands…

Tata Motors recently launched the much-awaited Tata Altro Racer in India, as a prime rival to the Hyundai i20 N Line. Though it comes with a juicy turbo petrol engine, the only gearbox on offer on the Racer is a 6-speed manual. Why are there no automatics, despite the car being labelled a sporty hatchback?

Well, Tata Motors has some interesting narratives to explain this. “Since this is the ‘Altroz Racer’ and not just any ‘fast Altroz’, we believe it should be manual.”- Tata’s Mohan Savarkar tells EVO India. To be able to shift quickly seems to have been a key criterion in designing this powertrain. The car gets a hydraulic clutch that facilitates sharper, quicker shifts. Opting for the manual also seems to have curbed down R&D costs and time.

However, Autocar India reports that the Altroz Racer could get the DCA automatic transmission in future, depending on customer demands.

The Altroz Racer has a flexible architecture and a capable 120hp, 1.2L turbo-petrol engine sourced from Nexon. It could get the 7-speed DCT that debuted on Altroz DCA in March 2022. This update would make the Racer more competent in battling the i20 N Line. Sources suggest that the Altroz Racer automatic prices could undercut the i20 N Line automatic if launched.

However, it remains to be seen how the Tata DCA transmission would fare against the 7 DCT from Hyundai, as the latter is a time-proven transmission with a less complex structure in comparison. Yes, we’ll be talking all these only if and when the Racer DCA makes it to production.

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