Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Maruti Suzuki BalenoNexa Experience

Maruti Suzuki's latest entrant in the premium hatchback – Baleno is emerging as a clear winner in its segment, if the emerging reports are anything to go by. Adding yet another feather to its cap is the latest Querimetrix data that says Baleno is "the most successful car launch in recent times".

Consumer Querimetrix, a Kotak Institutional Equities in collaboration with Google, is a tool that infers consumer behaviour by analysing Google search queries. Consumer Querimetrix derives lead indicators by analysing the connection between online search queries (Google Trends) and consumer activity.

According to the Google trend analysed data, the search-share captured by the new Maruti Baleno is far ahead of peers and the search-share for the Baleno has reached the pitch last seen during the launch of Ford Ecosport in 2013. Following Baleno is the new small car Kwid from the French auto maker Renault's stable.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the mainstay of the company's new Nexa premium chain has been getting tremendous response from the auto lovers in the country and has managed to clock 70,000 bookings so far since its entry into the market in October last year. The premium hatchback, which rivals Honda's new Jazz and Hyundai Elite i20 currently commands a waiting period of up to six months in some cities.

Under the hood, Maruti Baleno includes 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine and 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine. While the 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine is tuned to develop 83bhp and 115Nm of torque, the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel mill churns out 74bhp and 190Nm of torque. Both the engines are mated to a five-speed manual transmission, and the petrol engine is also available with CVT automatic gearbox.

Maruti Suzuki recently increased the price of the Baleno in the range of Rs 5000 to Rs 12,000. With the price hike, Maruti Baleno has now been priced in the range of Rs 5.11 lakh to Rs 8.16 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).