The waiting period of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno has hit six months.
The waiting period of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno has hit six months. Ever since its launch in October last year, the hatchback has managed to clock over 70,000 bookings. For the month of December, sales of the Baleno overtook that of the Hyundai i20.
“We did not anticipate such a response for the Baleno. The waiting period of close to six months is likely to continue. However, we are in talks with our production team to see how quickly we can ramp up the production,” Partho Banerjee, Senior Vice President (NEXA Channel), Marketing and Sales said.
The hatchback is 3995 mm long, 1745 mm wide and 1470 mm tall. The boot capacity is 355 litres. This means it will have a lot more interior room than the current offering from Maruti Suzuki, the Swift. The car will sit above the Swift hatchback and will be targeted at customers who are unhappy with the Swift’s interior space. The equipment list will include a multi-function steering wheel, engine starter button, projector headlights and LED daytime running lights, automatic climate control and Maruti’s SmartPlay infotainment system with integrated Bluetooth and navigation. Safety features will include dual front airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD).
The Baleno will be powered by a 1.2 litre K-series petrol engine or a 1.3 litre DDiS diesel engine. The same engine does duty on other Maruti Suzuki cars in India like the Swift. The engine will be mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. An automatic transmission might also be offered. The automatic transmission might be a CVT gearbox. The Baleno is lighter and hence more efficient than its sibling.
The hatchback was launched on the 26th of October. It starts from INR 5.11 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi) and goes up to INR 8.16 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi). It competes with the Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo, Honda Jazz and the Ford Figo.
Source – Autocar India