COMPANY car drivers taking the wheel of the Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 16v will be able to choose between driving the car in manual or automatic mode with the autumn introduction of Easytronic. The automated five-speed manual gearbox will debut in the Corsa and will allow drivers to choose between shifting gears manually or automatically.

Said to be as easy to use as a conventional automatic, it is more efficient, weighs less and costs less than half the price of a normal four-speed automatic. In automatic mode, it uses slightly less fuel than the same model with a conventional manual gearbox. The Corsa 1.2 16v returns 44.9mpg in automatic mode and 43.5 mpg as a manual. Prices have yet to be announced but four-speed automatic transmission in the Corsa is presently a £900 option.