Maruti Suzuki launched the Baleno hatchback on 26 October as a premium offering. The second car to be sold via the Nexa chain, the Baleno generated curiosity among potential buyers even before its launch. Within two days of the launch, the new hatchback racked up 4,600 bookings, becoming another successful model for India's largest car manufacturer.

A report in Rushlane indicates that the company wrapped up October with an impressive sales volume (dispatch) of 4,500 units of the Baleno. This means that Baleno has surpassed the October sales of 4,496 units of its rival, the Honda Jazz, in less than a week. 

When compared to the Volkswagen Polo sales of 2007 units in October 2015, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno is already ahead of the race. The main rival in the segment, the Hyundai Elite i20, leads the pack with 11,019 units sold last month. Going by the trend, the Baleno and the Elite i20 will have close competition in November. 

Priced in a range from Rs 4.99 lakh to Rs 8.11 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi, the Baleno is powered by a 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.

The premium hatchback also boasts of fuel efficiency. The diesel models are tuned to deliver ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of 27.39kmpl while the petrol variants deliver 21.4kmpl.

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