Maruti Suzuki's latest premium hatchback, Baleno, entered to the market on 26 October. The second model sold via Nexa premium dealerships, Baleno found 4,229 takers before November 2015. The November sales result indicates the company has sold 9,074 units of the Baleno to become the sixth-bestseling passenger car in India.
Baleno made headlines with bookings crossing 21,000 units within two weeks of the launch. According to an India Today report, the number of bookings is now beyond 40,000. The number of bookings and sales indicates the company has found another successful model in the Baleno.
It is noteworthy that the Baleno entered to the list of top-10 bestselling cars in its very first month of sales. In addition to Baleno, five other Maruti Suzuki cars also made it to top ten best selling passenger cars list of 2015: Alto (1), Dzire (2), WagonR (3), Swift (5) and Celerio (9).
The Baleno is manufactured only in India, and the company is planning to export the hatchback to over 100 countries. The car is powered by a the 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine tuned to develop 83bhp and 115Nm of torque, while the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel mill churns out 74bhp and 190Nm of torque. Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual transmission, and the petrol engine is also available with CVT automatic gearbox.
The Maruti Baleno diesel is tuned to deliver fuel efficiency of 27.39 kmpl and the petrol unit returns a claimed fuel efficiency of 21.4 kmpl. Offered in four trims and seven colours, the Baleno has been priced in the range of Rs 4.99-8.11 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
