Maruti Suzuki Baleno bookings zoom past 40,000
05 Dec 2015
Maruti Suzuki Baleno, the only recent launch to make it to the top 10 best selling cars list in November, has hurt the sales of some other best selling hatchbacks in India. The latest offering from India's largest automaker, Maruti Suzuki, has beaten its own Maruti Swift as also that of its arch rival, the Hyundai Elite i20.
Effect of the new launches can be seen in the sales of Maruti Alto, the car that currently tops the charts for sales in November 2015, which saw its overall sales decline 9 per cent as compared to its sales for the same month last year.
Part of this could also be attributed to the introduction and success of Renault Kwid.
The French automaker's offering, however, failed to make it to the top 10 list.
Maruti's latest offering holding up the expectations of the automakers from it, rather well, as the premium hatchback had vaulted to the 6th slot with 9,074 units sold in November 2015, which beats it primary competitor, the Elite i20 with only 8,264 units sold. Consequently, the Elite i20 experienced a 22 per cent decline in sales against its sales in November last and Maruti Swift, which had generally been able to hold its place at the top, was swept to the 5th position due to a 34 per cent decline, selling 11,859 units.
Maruti Suzuki's Baleno, which launched in October 2015 under its premium dealership chain NEXA, had garnered much attention before its launch thanks to its impressive styling. Following the launch, Baleno had been able to clock over 40,000 bookings till date.
Over a fortnight ago, Maruti Suzuki had reported that the Baleno had crossed 21,000 bookings and it seemed the car had become a hit with the consumers outplaying its competition in all departments. Impressive styling, refined power and good handling had all ensured that the Baleno left a mark in the minds of its potential customers.
Reports say Maruti Suzuko might be planning to introduce a more powerful version of its 1.3-litre Multijet 200 DDiS diesel engine on the Baleno.