Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the premium hatchback sold through Nexa, recorded its best ever monthly sales in July and in the process stamped its claim as one of the best hatchbacks in the country. Baleno came second in the list of top 10 best-selling cars in July with sales of 19,153 units, while Maruti Suzuki Alto notched the top spot with 26,009 units.

The sales figure of July is the best in Baleno's kitty since its launch in October 2015. The model registered 110 percent growth over the same period last year. The hatchback had also recently crossed two lakh domestic sales and remains the mainstay of Nexa dealerships.

Baleno's sales had crossed one lakh in less than a year of its launch. Further, Baleno crossed 1.5 lakh sales marks in April and added another 50,000 units to make it 2 lakh in just three months. The waiting period of Baleno continues to stands at 16 weeks despite the company's attempt to bring it down by ramping up the production.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno
PR handout

Baleno comes powered by a 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine or 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 also sells a more powerful version of the hatchback -- Baleno RS – through its Nexa line-up. Baleno RS is Maruti's first offering in the hot-hatch segment and comes with a 1.0-litre BoosterJet engine, which is tuned to churn out 100bhp at 5,500rpm 1,700 and 4,500rpm.

Baleno is currently priced in the range of Rs 5.26 lakh to Rs 8.42 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

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