Maruti Suzuki Baleno makes giant leap in sales, becomes India's second bestselling car in March

Maruti Suzuki's premium hatchback Baleno was launched in October 2015 and within a short time, the hatchback has challenged the leader in its segment. The car-maker's second model being sold via Nexa dealership also features in the top 10 best-selling monthly car lists of 2016 and 2017 regularly. The car now made a huge progress in sales and became the second best-selling car of the country in March.

Also read: Piling backlog to offset Gujarat plant advantage, long waiting period for Maruti Suzuki cars to continue

The Baleno has overtaken its long-standing and popular siblings like Dzire, Swift and Wagon R to achieve this feat. Maruti Suzuki sold 16,426 units of Baleno in March 2017 which is the highest number ever recorded by the premium hatchback. The March sales also registered a record growth rate of 163.40 per cent compared to the 6,236 units during March 2016, reported ET Auto.

Opening of the Gujarat plant of Suzuki Motor Corporation seems to be the key reason for the spike in sales. Baleno has been a popular model since its launch but Maruti Suzuki was struggling to deliver car according to the demand due to production constraints. With commissioning of the new plant in February, the company is now able to make more Baleno units and it has pushed the delivery level significantly.

Maruti Suzuki has also launched the Baleno RS — a go-faster version of the hatchback powered by a 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine in March. The first Maruti Suzuki car powered by a turbo petrol engine has created more excitement among the premium-hatchback buyers. Baleno RS sales also have contributed overall sale of the Baleno in March.

Till March 2017, Baleno has clocked a new milestone of selling 1.5 lakh units in India. However, the company is yet to deliver over 80,000 pending orders and the hatchback has a waiting period of 20-21 weeks.