Maruti Suzuki’s premium hatchback, the Baleno, has crossed the 6 lakh sales mark in India. The milestone was achieved in a record 44 months, which means that the Baleno has averaged monthly sales of 13,636 units since it had launched in October 2015. The premium hatchback has also featured regularly on the top 10 monthly sales chart.
The Baleno is exclusively manufactured in India and is exported to international markets such as Japan, Australia, Latin America, Europe and East Asia. The hatchback has registered a growth of 11.5 percent in FY18-19, with a market share of over 27 percent in the premium hatchback segment in India.
Speaking on the occasion, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “Baleno is India’s most preferred premium hatchback. Continuous alignment with customer’s expectations and desires along with periodic upgrades in terms of technology, have kept the Baleno in the lead in customer’s decision making. The recently introduced Next Generation Smart Hybrid on Baleno, resonates with customer’s need for contemporary technology. The milestone of 6 lakh unit cumulative sales in a record time of just 44 months clearly reflects the Baleno’s popularity. We thank our customers for their continued support that has helped Baleno to create this industry benchmark of fastest 6 lakh sales milestone.”
The Baleno is powered by an 83hp, 1.2-litre petrol engine and a 75hp, 1.3-litre diesel. While a 5-speed manual is available with both, the petrol also gets a CVT automatic as an option. Maruti also introduced a new 90hp, 1.2-litre K12C DualJet petrol engine that comes paired with a mild-hybrid system and a 5-speed manual only. Both petrol engines are also BS-VI-compliant – a first for hatchbacks in India.
Currently, the Baleno range starts from Rs 5.58 lakh for the Sigma petrol-MT variant and goes up to Rs 8.73 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the diesel Alpha variant. Maruti retails the Baleno from its premium Nexa outlets and it rivals other premium hatchbacks like the Honda Jazz and Hyundai i20. Maruti is also supplying Toyota with rebadged Balenos, dubbed as the Glanza, which will go on sale on June 6 in the country.
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