The manual gearbox is dying, but in certain regions, it has a new lease of life as it is being replaced by the AMT — Automated Manual Transmission. While AMTs may not be common in the United States, they are growing in popularity in many other parts of the world, particularly in developing countries. AMTs are the preferred choice of transmission in small cars in these regions due to their cost-effectiveness, compared to traditional torque converter automatics, CVTs, and DCTs. The gearbox is more fuel-efficient that conventional automatics, and is also said to cost less to service and repair.
The AMT is somewhat similar to a manual transmission, as it uses the same gearbox but adds an AMT module that automates clutch and gear operation. Think of it as a little gremlin perched atop your gearbox, pressing the clutch and shifting gears for you. Unlike manual gearboxes, an AMT has various sensors, actuators, and a Transmission Call Unit (TCU) to make shifts. Gear shifts in an AMT are performed by the shift actuator, which changes gears based on signals sent by the TCU. The TCU decides when to give the signal to change gears as per the speed of the vehicle, throttle input, and engine RPM, after which the clutch and shift actuators work in tandem to shift gears.
While AMTs make driving easier at a slight premium over a manual car, they do have a few drawbacks, particularly in terms of refinement compared to traditional automatics or manual cars. They tend to feel jerky and don't deliver seamless gear changes when driven aggressively, which isn't the case with manual gearboxes or other automatic transmissions.
AMT technology has existed for a long time. One of its early iterations was the Drive-Master system, offered in the Hudson Commodore. VW and Porsche introduced similar systems in the 1960s — the Autostick and Sportomatic, respectively — before the concept made a comeback in the 1990s with Ferrari, which called its automated manual transmission simply "F1."Performance cars have moved away from AMTs in recent years and adopted their distant cousin, the Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT), which offers quicker and more seamless shifts, barring a few bonkers Paganis or the even crazier SSC Tuatara.
AMT has been gaining popularity in the truck world since Volvo first began using it in the 2000s, with the company selling over a million trucks equipped with its I-Shift system by 2021. Over 95% of trucks in 2005 had manual transmissions, but 20 years later, more than 80% of heavy-duty trucks have an AMT gearbox, according to FreightWaves. The motorcycle industry is seemingly following suit as various bike manufacturers have experimented with AMT transmissions, with Yamaha and KTM both announcing that they will incorporate AMT systems on their bikes. Yamaha's Y-AMT does not feature a shift pedal or a clutch lever, with the transmission handling gear changes automatically, while the rider can also take control and manually change gears using a toggle on the handlebars. KTM allows for manual mode, but has persisted with a conventional foot-operated gear shifter, while they claim that their auto mode shifts gears at a swift 50 milliseconds.
With AMTs becoming more common, you may soon find yourself riding or driving a vehicle equipped with one.