Maruti Baleno took 5 years to reach the milestone sales of 8 lakhs
Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the premium hatchback, launched in 2015 and sold via the Nexa retail channel has achieved a major milestone of 8 lakh sales. Coincidentally, it was 26th Oct 2015, when the Baleno was first launched in India. And it is 26th Oct 2020, when Maruti announced the 8 lakh sales milestone achieved by Baleno.
Maruti Baleno achieved its first 1 lakh unit sales in 2016 while sales reached the 5 lakh unit mark in 2018. Hitting the 8 lakh unit mark in 5 years, is a new record. No car before Baleno has posted 8 lakh sales in such short time in the history of Indian auto industry.
1 Baleno Sold Ever 3 Minutes
Breaking this record down further, indicates that the Baleno has managed to sold an average of 1.6 lakh units ever year. 13,333 units ever month, 444 units ever day, 20 units ever hour and 1 unit ever 3 minutes. Even after 5 years, Maruti Baleno is the best selling car in the segment – this despite the discontinuation of diesel Baleno. Since the implementation of BS6, Baleno is only offered with petrol engine option.
Mr. Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, MSIL said, “Baleno helped us bring new customers to the Maruti Suzuki family. Baleno has helped us cement our position in the premium hatchback segment. Baleno is also instrumental in giving recognition to our NEXA channel.” Baleno is sold via a total of 377 Nexa outlets across 200 cities in India.
The current Baleno is priced between Rs 5.70 – 9.03 lakhs and competes with the Tata Altroz, Toyota Glanza and Hyundai i20. It has established itself as a formidable player in the premium hatchback segment and appeals to buyers due to its comfortable and spacious cabin, smart hybrid technology along with its range of fuel efficient engine.
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno not only appeals to buyers in Indian but it has also found favour among buyers in international markets of Australia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle-East and South-East Asia. Made exclusively at the Suzuki plant in Gujarat, Baleno is exported to many countries around the world.
Features and Specs
Maruti Suzuki Baleno is presented in four variants of Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Its features include projector headlamps, LED DRLs, LED tail combination lamps and 16 inch alloy wheels. Its interiors see features such as leather wrapped multi function steering wheel, a coloured TFT with MID, automatic air conditioning and a 7 inch SmartPlay infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
In 2019, Maruti Suzuki introduced the Baleno facelift with a view to cater to the upcoming BS6 emission regulations in India. This time, the company decided to drop its diesel engine offering across its range. The Baleno facelift is powered by a 1.2 liter VVT petrol and 1.2 liter Dualjet Dual VVT smart hybrid petrol engine options.
The 1.2 liter petrol engine makes 82 hp power at 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm torque at 4,300 rpm. It gets a 5 speed manual transmission as standard with CVT automatic as an option with fuel efficiency at 21.01 km/l. The 1.2 liter Dualjet petrol engine with SHVS offers 89 hp power at 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm torque at 4,400 rpm mated to a 5 speed manual transmission claiming fuel efficiency of 23.87 km/l.
