Leading car maker Maruti Suzuki on Tuesday announced commencement of pre-launch bookings for its premium compact car Baleno, which is expected to be rolled-out by the end of this month.
The new Maruti Baleno is expected to be positioned in the premium hatchback segment comprising models such as Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz, Volkswagen Polo and Fiat Punto. These models are priced in the range of Rs.5.3-9 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi).
The new premium hatchback can be booked with initial amount of Rs.11,000 at Maruti’s Nexa showrooms. Customers can also approach Maruti’s existing dealerships, which will help connect to the relevant Nexa outlet.
The Baleno diesel will be powered by the 1.3-liter DDiS engine, while petrol version will be powered by 1.2 litre VVT engine and a 5-speed manual and CVT (continuously variable transmission) gearbox. Diesel and petrol variants promise a mileage of 21.4 km and 27.4 km per litre. It will be offered in four levels (Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha) both for diesel and petrol versions. The new car will be available in seven colours.
The new car incorporates many new features that include intuitive Apple CarPlay® feature and UV Cut Glasses, among others, It will also offer dual airbags, ABS, EBD & seatbelts with pretensioners and force limiters as standard fitment from the base variant onwards.
Baleno will be the second model to be sold through its Nexa premium dealerships, the first one being premium SUV S-Cross.
During the first half of this fiscal, Maruti’s share in the compact segment (includes premium and other hatchbacks) stood at 45 per cent, down from about 49 per cent a year ago. But, Hyundai’s share in the segment increased to 28 per cent from 25 per cent, aided by new launches that offered a lot of premium flavour.
