As per an official announcement by Maruti Suzuki, the carmaker has opened bookings for its highly anticipated Baleno facelift in India. At the same time, the brand has also teased a brand-new head-up display feature that will debut with the hatchback. That said, Maruti Suzuki is setting the stage to launch the new Baleno in the country by the end of February 2022.
According to the teaser image, the new Baleno features reshaped LED headlamps, new split daytime running lights, redesigned grille, a new bumper and fog lamps. Meanwhile, it also gets reshaped rear lights and new alloy wheels.
Inside, the Baleno is very likely to get a redesigned cabin, especially the dashboard. The most prominent in-cabin feature will be the new head-up display. It is expected to display time, a rev counter, speed, climate control settings and gear indicator. Apart from that, there will be a new infotainment touchscreen, reworked instrument cluster and a flat-bottomed steering wheel and new air-con control switches.
The new Baleno will come powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine mated to either a manual or automatic transmission. More importantly, it will come with an engine idle start/stop function. Once launched, the new Baleno will take on the Honda Jazz, Tata Altroz, Toyota Glanza and the Hyundai i20.
Speaking on the announcement, Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “The Baleno brand has redefined the premium hatchbacks in India. With over 1 million delighted Baleno customers, it reigns the premium hatchback segment and has been consistently featuring among the top 5 best-selling cars in the country. As an ode to today’s young and bold customers, the New Age Baleno is dynamically crafted to fulfil the needs of a tech-savvy generation that settles for nothing but the best.
He added, “The New Age Baleno unleashes a whole new benchmark for cars by inspiring a confluence of superior in-car technology, expressive design, and class-leading safety to curate the ultimate urban cruising experience. We are confident that the New Age Baleno will turn heads and delight customers with its distinctive presence, cutting edge tech and outstanding performance.”
