The Maruti Suzuki Baleno has recently crossed the 8 lakh sales milestone in under 5 years. The premium hatchback, which went on sale in India back in October 2015, is claimed to be the fastest car to reach the 8 lakh sales milestone in India, which it did in a record time of 59 months. In addition to reviving the popular Baleno marque in India, the car was also the second model to be launched under the company's Nexa retail channel, and it continues to be Nexa's best-selling model till date, with an average of nearly 15,000 units a month. In fact, in September 2020, the company sold 19,433 units of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. Exclusively manufactured in India, Baleno is also exported to other markets like - Australia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Middle-East and South-East Asia.
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The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is claimed to be the fastest car to reach the 8 lakh sales milestone in India
Talking about the new sales milestone, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India, said, "India's most loved premium hatchback, Maruti Suzuki Baleno has a very special place in our portfolio. With its bold and premium design, cutting edge technology and feature-rich offering, Baleno has helped us cement our position in the premium hatchback segment. Baleno is also instrumental in giving recognition to our NEXA channel." He further added, "The timely innovations in Baleno are aligned to the changing aspirations of evolved India. This significant milestone of 8 Lakh delighted customers within a short span of 5 years is a testament of our customer-centric philosophy at the core of Baleno's conceptualization."
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The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is a petrol-only car that comes with the option of a smart hybrid as well
Under the BS6 regime Maruti Suzuki has phased out diesel engines from its portfolio, thus, the Baleno is currently offered as a petrol-only car, along with a couple of smart hybrid variants. The petrol version comes with a 1.2-litre VVT engine that makes about 82 bhp and 113 Nm of peak torque, while mated to a 5-speed manual or a CVT automatic gearbox. The smart hybrid version, which gets the latest SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle from Suzuki) technology, is powered with a 1.2-litre Dual VVT engine, which makes around 89 bhp and the same 113 Nm of torque. This one comes mated to a 5-speed manual unit as standard.
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The Maruti Suzuki Baleno's key rival the Hyundai i20 is all set to receive a generation upgrade in November 2020
Currently, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno mainly rivals the Tata Altroz and Honda Jazz in the premium hatchback space, however, Hyundai too will soon launch the new-gen i20, which is expected to be the most feature-rich offering in this segment. Having said that, the current-gen Hyundai i20 was still on sale until last month, with an average of close to 9,000 units a month, while the Tata Altroz, which was launched in January this year, has crossed 27,500 units sales mark in India, and that's an average of over 3000 units a month. Honda launched the facelifted Jazz in India only a couple of months ago, which has done a little over 1200 units so far. The segment also has the Toyota Glanza, which is essentially a rebadged Baleno, and that currently accounts for an average of about 2,000 units a month.
