Marut Suzuki Baleno OUTSELLING the Swift? May 2018 numbers revealed

The Maruti Suzuki Baleno premium hatchback has outsold its cheaper and much newer sibling, the Swift, in May 2018. Maruti dispatched 19,398 units of the Baleno to dealer stockyards across India in May 2018 while 19,208 units of the Swift were dispatched in the same period. While the higher dispatches of the Baleno may make it seem that demand is higher for the premium hatchback than the new Swift, it’s too early to say if the Baleno is really outselling the Swift. There could be multiple factors why Maruti has dispatched more Balenos to dealer stockyards in May 2018.

1. It could merely be a production realignment at the factory level that has seen more Balenos being dispatched to dealerships.
2. Production constraints at Maruti’s Gujarat factory, which manufactures the Swift is another possible reason why Maruti has not been able to dispatch more Swifts to dealerships despite a huge order book.
3. Then there’s also the possibility of buyers walking into Maruti showrooms and opting for the larger, better equipped and pricier Baleno.

Whatever be the case, it’s too early to predict if the Baleno is indeed outselling the Swift at the dealer level as the numbers we have with us are dealer dispatches from Maruti rather than actual sales at the dealer’s end. If this trend persists for a few more months, we’ll be able to clearly figure out if buyers are indeed opting for the Baleno over the newly launched Swift. On paper, both cars are evenly matched in terms of engines, performance and mileage. However, the Baleno offers a lot more space and features, and also costs more.

The Baleno sold in India gets 1.2 litre petrol, 1 litre turbocharged petrol and 1.3 litre turbocharged diesel engines. The 1.2 litre petrol and 1.3 litre diesel engines of the Baleno are shared with the Swift hatchback, and produce 82 Bhp-113 Nm and 74 Bhp-190 Nm, respectively. While the Baleno offers 5 speed manual and CVT automatic gearboxes on the 1.2 litre petrol engine, the Swift offers 5 speed manual and AMT options. The diesel engined Baleno is manual-only, while the Swift gets 5 speed manual and AMT options even on the diesel.

The Baleno gets a high-performance RS version, which uses a 1 litre-3 cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 101 Bhp-150 Nm outputs, and a 5 speed manual gearbox. The Baleno RS also gets stiffer suspension for sharper handling than the regular variants. For now, Maruti hasn’t revealed the exact timeline for a high-performance Swift variant although there’s constant talk about the high performance Swift Sport being brought into India next year. For now, we’ll leave you with the prices of the Baleno and Swift. The Baleno’s prices range between Rs. 5.36 and Rs. 8.5 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. The Swift’s prices range between Rs. 4.99 lakhs and Rs. 8.29 lakhs.