Maruti Suzuki Baleno on growth track; demand soars 30% in July

Continuing its upward journey in the Indian market, Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the premium hatchback of the country's largest car-maker, has recorded a 30.9 per cent growth in the month of July. Baleno, which was launched in October 2015, has also crossed sales of 75,000 units within nine months.

Baleno had become an instant hit in the Indian market and garnered over 21,000 bookings within few weeks of its launch. The premium hatchback has also managed to sustain the momentum as Maruti Suzuki sold 9,120 units of the car in July.

While rival Hyundai Elite i20 takes top spot in the premium hatchback segment with 9,910 units, a month-on-month growth of 30.9 percent for the Baleno tells the story of its success. This is despite having a prolonged waiting period of up to eight months and a huge backlog of orders.

Baleno rivals Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda Jazz, and is offered in four trims and seven body shades. Under the hood, Baleno comes with a 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine and a 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine. While the petrol engine is tuned to develop 83bhp and 115Nm of torque, the diesel mill churns out 74bhp and 190Nm of torque.

Maruti Suzuki is currently said to be working to bring down Baleno's waiting period and the company has already increased the production of the premium hatchback to 12,000 units per month from the previous 8,000 units.

Baleno is sold through the company's premium dealership Nexa and the hatchback is expected to get a powerful sibling soon. Maruti Suzuki is expected to launch Baleno RS, the powerful version of Baleno with a boosterjet engine, during the festive season this year. Baleno RS, which made its debut at the Auto Expo 2016, is the first car in India to be powered by the boosterjet of Suzuki.