Maruti rolls out Baleno at `4.99L, to take on Polo, i20
NEW DELHI: India’s secondlargest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Monday launched its latest premium hatchback ‘Baleno’ priced between `4.99 lakh and `8.11 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The car, which sees reintroduction of the Baleno moniker that was earlier used for a midsize sedan till 2007, will compete with the likes of Volkswagen Polo, Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda Jazz.
“With festive period around, this is the right time to launch Baleno. It will be an important model in our mission to achieve two million sales per annum by 2020,” said Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India.
The car will be manufactured only in India and exported to over 100 countries, including parent Suzuki’s home country Japan. It plans to export around 50,000 units in the first year.
“We are looking for leadership position in the premium hatchback segment, but it will happen gradually,” said RS Kalsi, executive director, marketing and sales, MSIL.
Baleno is the first small car from Maruti to offer safety features such as dual airbags, ABS and EBD even in the base variant. Powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine, a fuel economy of 21.4 kmpl, and a 1.3-litre diesel engine with a mileage of 27.39 kmpl, an automatic CVT version is also on offer at `6.76 lakh.
Interestingly, the Baleno’s base model is just `35,000 costlier than the base model of Maruti’s own mid-size hatch, market leader Swift.