The Baleno would make its global debut at Frankfurt next week, but even before that it has entered production here in India. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno, also known as Suzuki YRA, would be launched in the Indian market sometime this festive season. Photos of the first production Baleno have been leaked online from the factory floor and it shows Maruti workers celebrating the first Baleno with flower petals.
The leaked pictures have a surprise twist to it. Earlier, everyone had thought that the Indian version of Baleno would have twin slat grille upfront, but the leaked pictures show that the Indian Baleno would also have the honeycomb grille just like its international cousin. It is also being said that the Baleno may get a new name altogether by the time gets launched.
Globally, the Baleno would be powered by a 1-liter BOOSTERJET petrol engine, but in India the car will come with a 1.2-liter VVT petrol engine and a 1.3-liter multijet diesel engine. While the petrol unit will be producing 83bhp of peak output and 114Nm of peak torque, the figures for the diesel unit will be 90bhp and 200Nm respectively. In the future, there’s a chance that the Baleno might get the SHVS hybrid technology.
The international Baleno is about four meters in length, but in India length would be reduced a bit by Maruti to make it a sub four meter hatchback in order to get all the tax benefits that comes with it.
The Baleno would the second Maruti model after the S-Cross to be sold through NEXA series of showrooms. Once launched, the car will compete with the likes of Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20 and Volkswagen Polo in the Indian market.
