In top gear

The last six months have witnessed a considerable change in the buying preferences of women, with over 15 automatic Audis rolling out of one showroom alone in the city. “We were surprised at the way women hunted for either automatic cars or those which had both automatic and manual options. Within months, a large chunk of women buyers switched from manual to automatic,” says Vikram Zende, sales manager of Audi Showroom on S B Road.

Amey Tingare of Bavaria Motors agrees, “Even BMWs sell automatic models more than manual ones and it’s women who are going for them. We see very good potential for automatic cars in future,” he says.

So, what makes these cars tick? Firstly, they are simple, fun and easy to handle. The driver just has to keep one foot on the accelerator. The rest of the job is done by the car, while you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Kruti Kumar Jain, executive director, Kumar Builders, who drives an automatic car, says, “I drive to work and time is always a constraint. So, I prefer driving an automatic car, as it’s convenient and has a very lightweight steering.”

Where the automatic versions are easy to drive, they are also a boon when it comes to driving in the city’s unruly traffic. Pragya Shikharpurkar, who recently bought an automatic Honda CRV feels, “It facilitates parking in difficult spots and in driving through Pune traffic. Drivers here are very indisciplined, and no one follows the lane system. Automatic cars actually rock.”

However, while cumbersome traffic conditions in the city are making women opt for automatic cars, they hold just the opposite view when it comes to hitting the highways. For when it comes to acquiring control over speed, automatic cars fail to woo the women. “I have always loved driving a manual car when going for a long drive. Manual gear change gives the driver total control over the car and a great feeling of power while zipping away on the highway,” says Jain.