Maruti Suzuki launches Baleno facelift at ₹6.10 lakh, bookings open at ₹11,000

Maruti Suzuki India on Saturday launched the facelifted Baleno at a starting price of ₹6.10 lakh (ex-showroom), with the premium hatchback receiving a new Z12E powertrain, Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and additional safety and technology features. Bookings for the updated model have opened at ₹11,000.

The Baleno, sold through Maruti Suzuki’s NEXA retail network, is among the company’s key models in the premium hatchback segment. The latest update comes as SUVs continue to account for a large share of passenger vehicle demand, while Maruti Suzuki expects premium hatchbacks to retain a sizeable addressable market.

The facelifted Baleno will compete with other premium hatchbacks including the Hyundai i20, Tata Altroz and Toyota Glanza, keeping the model in a segment where Maruti Suzuki has a significant presence.

Premium hatchback segment sees growth

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said the premium hatchback segment could account for around 35% of the passenger vehicle market if annual industry sales reach 6.3 million units by FY31.

The segment has recorded sales of around 2.5 lakh units in the last five months against total passenger vehicle industry sales of close to 4.4 lakh units, Banerjee said. Premium hatchback sales have grown 17% compared with the period before GST 2.0, while Maruti Suzuki has recorded 28% growth in the segment.

“There is a market for SUV also, but there is also a market for premium hatchbacks,” Banerjee said. He added that even if SUVs account for 60-65% of the passenger vehicle market by FY31, premium hatchbacks could account for the remaining 35%.

The Baleno accounts for about one-third of premium hatchback sales, according to Banerjee. Maruti Suzuki has sold close to 83,177 units of the model over the last five months of the financial year, translating into monthly sales of more than 16,500 units.

The company has also fully utilised the production capacity for the Baleno and Fronx at its Hansalpur plant in Gujarat, Banerjee said.

Level 2 ADAS added

The facelifted Baleno gets a radar-and-camera-based Level 2 ADAS system, which Maruti Suzuki said is a segment-first. The system comprises eight functions, including advanced emergency braking, lane keep assist, lane departure prevention, adaptive cruise control, high-beam assist, vehicle sway warning and forward collision warning.

The car comes with six airbags, electronic stability programme, ABS with EBD, hill-hold control, reverse parking sensors and tyre-pressure monitoring system. It also retains a 360-degree camera and head-up display.

Other additions include ventilated front seats with leatherette upholstery, a 22.86-cm (9-inch) SmartPlay Pro+ infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a Clarion sound system and a Qi-certified wireless smartphone charger with active cooling.

New Z12E powertrain

The facelifted Baleno is powered by Maruti Suzuki’s Z12E engine, which develops 61 kW of maximum power at 5,700 rpm and 112.4 Nm of peak torque at 4,500 rpm. It gets Dual VVT and idle start-stop technology and is offered with a five-speed manual and Auto Gear Shift (AGS) transmission.

The manual version has a claimed fuel efficiency of 23.80 km/l, while the AGS variant returns 24.77 km/l. Maruti Suzuki said these figures are 6.4% and 7.9% higher, respectively, than the outgoing model.

The Baleno S-CNG, also powered by the Z12E engine with a five-speed manual transmission, has a claimed efficiency of 33.61 km/kg, 9.8% higher than its predecessor.