Maruti Suzuki Baleno launched at starting price of Rs 4.99 lakh

Maruti Suzuki has just launched its new premium hatchback, the Baleno. Named after the erstwhile Baleno sedan, the hatch has a starting price tag of Rs 4.99 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 6.16 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom, New Delhi) for the base diesel variant.

Prices for the petrol variant go up to Rs 7.01 lakh and Rs 8.11 lakh for the top diesel variant.

Under the hood, the Baleno draws power from Suzuki's 1.2-litre K12 engine, capable of producing 83.1bhp and 11.7kgm of torque. The diesel line-up gets the 1.3-litre DdiS diesel engine from Fiat which can make 73.9bhp and 19.3kgm of torque. Both engines are mated to a five-speed gearbox. The petrol line-up, however, also gets a CVT automatic variant, priced at Rs 6.76 lakh.

Both the petrol and diesel line up gets four variants each – Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha.

For safety, Maruti has kept the features standard across all the variants. All variants, petrol and diesel, of the Baleno hatchback gets dual airbags, ABS with EBD, seat belt pre-tensioners, and Total Effective Control Technology (TECT).

The top variant of the Maruti Baleno gets projector beams and LED daytime-running lamps. Higher variants get 16-inch alloy wheels and more chrome, against the standard 15-inch alloys on the other trims.

On the inside, the Baleno gets Apple CarPlay, which is a first in the segment. MSI will be the first OEM in India to offer Apple CarPlay. The instrument panel is blue-lit, and gets Bluetooth, aux and USB.

India is the first market to get the Baleno. The premium hatch will also be manufactured in India only, and exported to the world. The Baleno will be sold through Maruti's Nexa showroom, which already sells the carmaker's S-cross SUV.

"We are looking for leadership position in the segment in a gradual manner. We are optimistic about this model to achieve top slot as it is packed with features," MSI Executive Director Marketing and Sales R S Kalsi said.

The Baleno hatch will go up against Volkswagen's Polo, the Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20, priced between Rs 5.34 lakh and Rs 8.63 lakh, which means that the base petrol trim is cheaper than the competition.

MSI and its supplier partners have invested Rs 1,060 crore in the development of Baleno. It is the second model after premium crossover S-Cross which would be sold through Nexa outlets in the country.

Petrol trims prices (all prices, ex-showroom, New Delhi)