We have long longed for a hot hatchback from India's largest automaker Maruti Suzuki and now we finally have one! The Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS hot hatchback has officially been launched in India. The Baleno RS is priced at Rs. 8.69 lakh and is available exclusively through the Nexa outlets.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS, the 101 bhp hot hatch, has been launched in India at Rs. 8.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Marking Maruti Suzuki's entry into India's hot hatch club, the Baleno RS faces competition from cars such as the Volkswagen Polo GT, Ford Figo, and Abarth Punto Evo. Though essentially a performance-oriented version of the standard Baleno, the hatchback's RS model comes sporting quite a few differentiating elements.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS, scheduled to be launched later today, will mark the company's foray into the Indian hot hatch market. Based on the Baleno hatchback, the RS will not only become the first Maruti Suzuki car to receive Suzuki's new 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine but also the company's most powerful hatchback. Though a performance-oriented variation of the standard Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the Baleno RS will come sporting some differentiating features. Moving on - Maruti Suzuki's hot hatch is available for bookings on the NEXA website and already observes a waiting period of nearly 1.5 months.

Maruti Suzuki is known for making some of the best handling hatchbacks in India, from the original Zen to the current Swift and now is finally launching a hot (or lukewarm) hatchback for India. Now we have already told you all you need to know in terms of the specifications but let us take you through how the standard Baleno and the Baleno RS differ in terms of external appearances.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS is set to launch next month and the car will rival the likes of Volkswagen Polo GT TSI, Ford Figo 1.5 Ti-VCT and the Fiat Abarth Punto. Even though the India-spec Maruti Baleno RS is not as powerful as its rivals on papers, it is still worthy on being in the list and here's why.