Maruti Baleno waiting periods to reduce: Here’s why

Maruti is preparing to make the most of the upcoming festive rush by increasing the production of their best-selling premium hatchback Baleno. This is in order to meet the high demand for the hatchback. Maruti launched the Baleno premium hatchback back in 2015, and ever since, the car has been India’s best-selling premium hatchback, beating the Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz and Volkswagen Polo hands down.

RS Kalsi, Senior Executive Director (Marketing and Sales), Maruti Suzuki, said,

The high demand for Baleno since its launch is a testimony of our best in class technology, design and customer experience. The availability of Baleno got a boost with the Suzuki Motor Gujarat plant operational at its full capacity of 2.5 Lakh units annually. With improved availability, the average monthly sales of the car has touched around 18,000 units in the past 8 months, as compared to an average of around 14,000 units in the Jan 17- Aug 17 period.

Maruti Suzuki has sold over 450,000 units of the Baleno since its launch and sells around 15,000 units of the car on an average every month. The Baleno sold in India is offered with both petrol and diesel engines. The petrol variant is powered by a 1.2-litre engine, which produces 84 Bhp and 115 Nm of peak torque. The engine comes paired with a 5-speed manual and a CVT automatic gearbox.

Another engine option is a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which produces 102 Bhp and 150 Nm of peak torque and comes paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. The most frugal fuel burner of them all is a 1.3-litre diesel engine that produces 74 Bhp power and 190 Nm of peak torque and comes paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. A total of 12 variants, including the RS model, which is the sportier version of the Baleno, are available.

Twin airbags and ABS are standard across all variants of the Baleno. The car is based on the HEARTECT platform, and is the lightest car in the segment. The Maruti premium hatchback rivals the Hyundai Elite i20, Ford Figo and Volkswagen Polo in the premium hatchback segment. Maruti is offering discounts on the Baleno this festive season to drive up sales.