New Maruti Baleno hatchback which broke cover at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, is scheduled to be launched in India on October 26. The hatchback will be made in India for global consumption and even Suzuki’s home market Japan will source the Baleno from here.
Previous spyshots revealed that the car has already entered production at Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.’s (MSIL) Manesar plant. The latest Maruti will be looking to tap into the high volume premium hatchback market which is currently dominated by Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz and VW Polo.
The equipment level of the car is at par with the segment norms and expectations.To make a strong impact, Maruti has packed the car with features that customers of this segment have come to expect nowadays such as a spacious cabin, voluminous boot, projector headlamps, LED taillights, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, navigation, Bluetooth, reverse parking camera, automatic climate control, electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs and so on. So as far as features are concerned, the Baleno is at par with the market if not better.
Maruti would retail the Baleno exclusively through their new Nexa chain of premium dealerships, alongside the S-Cross and Ciaz. The India-spec car will not get the new 110 PS 1.0-litre BoosterJet turbo petrol engine. Instead it will get the same engine options seen on Swift – 84 PS 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine and the 90 PS 1.3-litre DDiS 200 diesel engine. While a 5-speed manual transmission will be standard across the range, petrol option will also offered with a CVT.
