Maruti’s premium hatchback Baleno launched at Rs. 4.99 lakh

Named after the Baleno sedan of yesteryear, the new Maruti Baleno hatchback is Maruti’s latest premium entrant and will be sold through the recently launched Nexa chain of showrooms. Reports claim that Maruti will also offer the SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) technology, which will be paired to the 1.3-litre Multijet engine in the all new Maruti Suzuki Baleno.

The diesel variant, powered by DDiS 190 diesel engine, will come in four variants and will be priced in the range between Rs. 6.16 lakh and Rs. 8.11 lakh. The Baleno hatchback will be similar to the global model that was unveiled at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show but the biggest difference however will be the engines offered in India.

“We are looking for leadership position in the segment in a gradual manner”. The auto has been priced starting at Rs 4.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). “We are optimistic about this model to achieve top slot as it is packed with features”, MSI Executive Director Marketing and Sales R S Kalsi said.

The auto will be competing against the likes of Hyundai Elite i20, which is priced between Rs 5.36 lakh to Rs 8.30 lakh, and Honda Jazz which is priced at Rs 5.34 lakh to Rs 8.63 lakh. MSI and its supplier partners have raked in Rs 1,060 crore in Baleno’s development.

The premium segment has been one of the strongest segments where around 40,000 cars are sold every month that also has Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra and Fiat Punto as other notable models. During April-September this fiscal, around 2.9 lakh compact hatchbacks have been sold.

Maruti Suzuki had earlier launched Baleno as a sedan that was available with a single 1.6 litre petrol engine. It is also expected that the Baleno gets an updated music system along with reverse parking camera. Innovative features include advanced multi-information colour display, adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, and a Smartphone Linkage Display Audio compatible with Apple CarPlay.

As far as the fuel efficiency figures are concerned, the petrol variant of the new Baleno gives a fuel efficiency of 21.4kmpl, while the diesel variant is pegged at 27.39kmpl.