The Baleno is the second Maruti Suzuki model to be sold from their Nexa dealerships. Positioned as a premium hatchback, can the Baleno live the Nexa dream for Maruti Suzuki?
Right from the time Maruti Suzuki established a name in the Indian market with the SS80 and its successors, it has been perceived as a people’s brand. In fact, with the onset of the 90’s the brand almost became synonymous with cars in India altogether. Numbers were sky rocketing and sales executives at Maruti dealerships didn’t need to break a sweat to ‘sell’ cars.
While Maruti Suzuki was enjoying the success that it had managed to achieve with its entry-level cars, buying power and demands of the consumers were gradually increasing as more manufacturers started entering the Indian market. Maruti Suzuki however continued to do what they knew best and efficiently at that. Little did they know that the brand image that they worked so hard to build will be the one that they would want to shake off.
Soon enough there was a demand for premium offerings and despite brining in cars like the Baleno sedan, Grand Vitara and the Kizashi, Maruti Suzuki was unable to establish itself as a premium car maker. The SX4 was a car that did manage to put a foot in the door for Maruti Suzuki, but unfortunately, that was all it could achieve. Its successor though, the Ciaz, since the time of its launch has helped the cause further.
Recently though, Maruti Suzuki decided to take a different approach altogether. With the launch of the S-Cross, the Manesar-based car maker introduced a new range of Nexa dealerships that would cater exclusively to their premium cars. But considering its niche, the S-Cross isn’t quite the car that would establish Maruti Suzuki’s name in the list of premium car makers either. Enter, the new Baleno hatchback.
With cars like the Hyundai Elite i20, the Honda Jazz and the Volkswagen Polo in the market, Maruti Suzuki knew that it had to bring in a fabulous product to make place for itself. So Maruti Suzuki played it smart and developed a car that looks like an evolution of the Swift. And just to be sure, they plunked it with powerplants that have proven its mettel in the test of time. But these are not the only factors that define a premium hatchback.
In the Baleno, Maruti Suzuki has maintained high standards in terms of quality. The all-black cabin looks upmarket and although a lot of its parts have been carried forward from some of its other models, the overall quality has not been compromised. Seats are well bolstered and the knee room at the back is quite impressive too. And then let’s not forget the long list of features. From automatic climate control, colour TFT information screen and a 4.2-inch touch screen with a rear parking camera to keyless entry, push button start, USB and AUX ports the Baleno gets it all.
Even if it is slotted in the premium hatchback segment, the sales of a product have a lot depending on the price. By undercutting the base price of arch rivals Hyundai Elite i20 and the Honda Jazz, Maruti Suzuki has managed to tick that box too. In fact, even the top-end diesel Baleno is priced at par with the Elite i20 and considerably cheaper than the Jazz. Let's also not forget that the Baleno is considerably cheaper than the S-Cross and falls in a very popular segment, which means the Nexa dealerships will now be getting more footfalls too.
So, to answer the question we first asked, does the Maruti Suzuki Baleno live the Nexa dream? With a strong product that offers a lot for its price, reliable power plants and most importantly has the ‘Maruti bharosa’ going for it, we sure think it does. In fact, it wouldn't be too bold to say, the Baleno is the most promising product Maruti Suzuki has brought in to step into the premium space.