Maruti Suzuki Baleno is a stunner; sales hit new milestone

Maruti Suzuki had launched its premium hatchback Baleno in October 2015. The hatchback with a flamboyant design has turned out to be a runaway success with overwhelming sales. The hatchback sold via Nexa dealerships has now added a new feather in its caps by crossing two lakh domestic sales.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS hot hatch gets a head start: No plans for Dzire RS

Baleno took only 20 months to achieve the milestone sales feat, reports Autocar Professional. Baleno's sales had crossed one lakh in less than a year of its launch. The 1.5 lakh sales mark was covered in April and it took just three months to add another 50,000 units.

Increase in production after the commissioning of Gujarat plant is the key reason for this spike in sales in 2017. Maruti Suzuki sold 16,426 units of Baleno in March, which is the highest monthly number ever recorded by the premium hatchback. Average monthly sales of Baleno currently clocks around 15,000 units.

By the end of May, Maruti Suzuki sold 1,97,660 units of Baleno. Hence by mid of June, sales would have crossed the two lakh mark.

Priced from Rs 5.98 lakh to Rs 8.43 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), Baleno is 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.

Buoyed by the success of Baleno, Maruti Suzuki has recently added a more powerful version of the hatchback -- Baleno RS -- in its Nexa line-up. Baleno RS is Maruti's first offering in the hot-hatch segment. Priced at Rs 8.69 lakh, Baleno RS comes with a 1.0-litre BoosterJet engine, which is tuned to churn out 100bhp at 5,500rpm 1,700 and 4,500rpm.