Maruti Suzuki Baleno production to continue at Manesar even after start of Gujarat plant

Maruti Suzuki's premium hatchback Baleno has received overwhelming response. But due to huge sales, the company is struggling to deliver the cars on time. Maruti Suzuki has already confirmed the new plant in Gujarat will start production in early 2016. Baleno will be the first model to be produced at the Gujarat plant.

The emerging reports also indicate that the Manesar plant will continue to manufacture Beleno along with the new plant.

In an interview to Business Standard, Kenichi Ayukawa, MD and CEO of Maruti Suzuki, confirmed production continuation of Baleno at the Manesar facility. The premium hatchback has recorded over 1 lakh bookings and the company is yet to deliver car for over 50,000 customers.

In addition to the domestic demand, Baleno is Suzuki's global product manufactured only in India. Suzuki is planning to export Baleno to over 100 countries from India that includes Japan and Europe. Hence, the Manesar plant complementing Gujarat plant in Baleno production is crucial.

Baleno has recorded a 30.9 per cent growth in July. It has also crossed sales of 75,000 units this year. 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. The premium hatchback sold via Nexa premium dealerships has been priced in the range of Rs 5.25 lakh to Rs 8.35 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi.