Made-in-India Maruti Suzuki Baleno unveiled in Frankfurt

"Suzuki Motor Co. will celebrate its centenary in 2020 and from now till then we will launch 20 all new products of which a majority will be produced in India," so said Toshihiro Suzuki, President of Suzuki Motor Co. while speaking to a select group of Indian journalists on the sidelines of the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Kicking off this 20-model onslaught at Frankfurt was the all-new Baleno, totally made in India for the domestic as well as the global markets. This new large hatchback might carry the Baleno name but is completely different from what had appeared on our roads a decade and a half ago in the form of a large powerful sedan and a very elegant estate car, sadly both of which couldn't delight consumers, more so because of a lack of a USP and also the brand not having the gravitas to move minds upscale.

The new Baleno is surely destined for better prospects than its namesake from 12-15 years ago and it is the most modern expression of Suzuki's new design and engineering philosophy. For starters it gets stuck right into the upper end of India's booming premium compact hatchback segment where the likes of the Honda Jazz and the Hyundai i20 rule the roost. Psychologically it is very evident for a Maruti-Suzuki product to be fighting these brands and it is armed for the good battle with a visually strong presence (Suzuki terms it the "Liquid Flow" design theme), ample cabin space to lock arms with the Jazz and have enough firepower under the bonnet to take on the i20.

For Europe the Baleno will come equipped with petrol engines only, an all new 1.0-litre BoosterJet direct-injection turbocharged motor with SHVS smart-hybrid tech being a very exciting proposition while the other unit would be another all-new 1.2 DualJet motor. For India there would be the proven and reliable K12M petrol engine which will get either a 5-speed manual transmission or a brand new CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) as an option meaning it would be the first Suzuki to be so equipped with such a modern gearbox. However it would be the D13A diesel engine that does duty in a variety of Maruti-Suzuki models that would be the first choice option of many and this Baleno DDiS would be exclusively engineered for India.

The new Baleno hatchback is compact yet pretty spacious, the packaging engineers having liberated a cavernous cabin from the 2520 wheelbase the car rides on without compromising on the luggage space. There is an all-new design language within the cabin as well and here among the various conveniences and creature comforts, the first adoption of Apple's CarPlay in an Indian automobile is very welcome. This intuitive in-car entertainment cum connectivity platform that has dazzled the world since its introduction just about a year ago comes to India for the first time, in a Maruti Suzuki.

The all-new monocoque structure that is at the heart of this car is also one that will underpin many other Suzuki models that are planned for India. This would include the next generation Swift and a new compact SUV among others. The Baleno in Europe would ride on either 16-inch alloy wheels or 15-inch steel wheels but in India we think that the latter in both alloy and steel versions would be the norm. The new Baleno would go on sale in Europe in the second quarter of 2016 but it would hit showrooms in India in late October 2015, but only via Maruti Suzuki's NEXA sales channel.

Prior to the Frankfurt Motor Show Suzuki had already announced its intent to buy its stock held by the VW Group and in his address to the global automotive media, Toshihiro Suzuki underlined his company's new vision statement for the future titled Next 100 clearly hinting that it was going to stay independent going into its next one hundred years! In fact, when quizzed on the subject in our interaction, he said that having just experienced a divorce; he wasn't contemplating another marriage and that too so soon! However, Suzuki san did keep the door open to say that strategic partnerships in areas of technology would be explored.

As to Suzuki's operations in India, Toshihiro Suzuki clearly stated that India would play a major role in contributing to not just the 3-million units plus volumes his eponymous firm was aiming at but also that it would be the core pivot for many new global models sporting the Suzuki badge. He likened Maruti Suzuki to be the engine of performance for the Suzuki brand worldwide in much the same way as a turbocharger helps to generate more power and pleasure from a normal engine! It might have been subtle but he couldn't have put it simpler or clearer than that!