Premium hatchback Baleno vrooms out of Maruti stable

Pitted against Hyundai's Elite i20, to be sold only through NEXA; will be first from firm to be also exported to Japan, beside 100 other nations

Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest car maker, launched a premium hatchback, the Baleno, on Monday. It is priced at Rs 4.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), pitting it directly against the reigning segment leader, the Hyundai Elite i20. It has also been priced lower than the entry models of the Honda Jazz and Volkswagen Polo (see chart). Baleno will be exclusively sold through NEXA, the company’s premium dealership.

It will be manufactured only in India and exported to about 100 countries, including Japan, home to Maruti’s parent company, Suzuki. It will be Maruti’s first car to be exported to Japan. “It is a global model which would not only satisfy customers in India but global markets as well,” said managing director Kenichi Ayukawa. The company will start shipping the Baleno early next year. It plans to export around 50,000 units in the first year, including up to 6,000 to Japan, said Ayukawa. The Baleno uses a 1.2-litre petrol engine, developed by Suzuki that offers 21.4 km a litre, and a 1.3-litre diesel engine developed by Fiat-Suzuki, offering 27.39 km a litre, making it one of the most fuel-efficient cars on sale. The diesel variant begins at a price of Rs 6.16 lakh and goes up to Rs 8.11 lakh. The top-end petrol model is available for Rs 7.01 lakh.

Baleno is the second vehicle that will be sold through NEXA, after the S-Cross that was launched in early August. Maruti rolled out the NEXA dealerships in July and plans to raise the number to 100 by year-end from 80 now. NEXA dealerships on an average have sold about 3,000 of the S-Cross in a month.

Baleno is expected to quickly surpass S-Cross volumes due to its attractive pricing.  

Baleno has been priced only Rs 39,000 higher (for the entry level) to Maruti’s popular hatchback, the Swift. Unlike the base variant of the Swift, it offers features like dual airbags, Apple CarPlay and touchscreen audio. It will be the first car in India to offer Apple Carplay that can be used to make calls, messages and listen to music.

The design language is unlike that seen on traditional Maruti Suzuki cars. “This is a bold new car, with an attitude that is reflected in its design”, said R S Kalsi, executive director, marketing and sales.

A look at the comparison chart shows Maruti has pitted the Baleno head-on with the Hyundai i20 Elite, which clocks between 9,000 and 11,000 units a month. Both use a nearly identical sized petrol engine.

The Baleno’s boot space, at 355 litres, is the best in the segment. The i20 Elite (petrol) gives 16.31 km a litre, less than the Baleno.

With this launch, Maruti has brought back the Baleno brand, once used to try and strengthen Maruti’s position in the sedan space, after the Esteem. The Baleno sedan, launched in India in 1999, met with limited success before being phased out in 2007.

Maruti launched the SX4 sedan as a replacement for the Baleno, which itself got replaced by the Ciaz.