Maruti Suzuki Baleno waiting period to go down soon; here's why

Still waiting for your Baleno? We have a piece of good news for Maruti Suzuki patrons. The waiting period of the Baleno premium hatchback might soon be cut down as the carmaker is set to commence its operations at its new facility in Gujarat.

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Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the second model that made it to the Nexa floor in October last year, has been earning a tremendous response from the auto lovers in the country and has crossed over one lakh sales in less than a year. The scaling demand for the Baleno has led to the prolonged waiting period in the country despite the increase in production. Currently, the Baleno commands a waiting period of over eight months, depending on the city, and this might change soon.

With the new plant of Maruti Suzuki in Gujarat set to become operational in early February, Maruti expects to get nearly 10,000 units of the Baleno from the new Hansalpur-based facility in Gujarat this fiscal. The Gujarat plant is expected to roll out its first batch of cars in February and the production of a major chunk of the premium hatchback Baleno is expected to move to the new facility.

The current Baleno rivals Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda Jazz and is offered in four trims and seven body shades. Under the hood, Maruti Baleno includes 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.

In 2017, Maruti is also gearing up for the launch of a number of new models, including the go-faster version of the Baleno — the Baleno RS. The Baleno RS is expected to hit the showrooms in early February. The Baleno RS, which made its debut at the Auto Expo 2016, is the first car from Marui's stable to be powered by the Boosterjet of Suzuki.