Maruti Suzuki is all set to launch the Baleno facelift on February 23 and we’ve been reporting over the last few days that the changes aren’t just cosmetic. The new Baleno has undergone some major changes in areas including connectivity, convenience, powertrain and design. In fact, the company has been teasing some of the features over the last few days and potential buyers seem to be convinced about these new technologies. Proving this point is the fact that Maruti Suzuki has already received around 16,000 pre-launch bookings for the new Baleno with almost a week to go for the launch! Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) shared these numbers with us among other interesting details.
He shared that the new features have been added to address the demand of present buyers and while this will certainly increase the cost of the car, the Value-for-money (VFM) quotient will only get stronger. The new Baleno will sport sim-based connectivity, customisable Heads-Up Display (HUD), 360-degree camera, Alexa integration and a larger touchscreen infotainment system among other new features. This will push the positioning of the car towards the upper end of the premium hatchback segment bringing it closer to the Hyundai i20.

Srivastava said that beyond the tech changes the design too has been given a makeover and hence the new tagline ‘Tech Goes Bold’.
Traditionally, the Baleno has been the highest-selling car in the premium hatchback segment. It achieved the 1 million sales mark within six years of its launch (fastest for any car in India) and has been selling around 14,000 units per month on average in the last few months. With the new Baleno, Srivastava expects this number to increase but said it was too early to put an accurate estimate around it. However, he did mention that the premium hatchback segment is presently the largest segment in the passenger vehicle space in India and expects it to post strong performance in times to come. The segment accounted for nearly 23% of the total passenger vehicle market in FY 2020-21.
When asked if the new technologies of Baleno will be introduced on Nexa cars first or Arena models as well, he said the options are open for both. He added that customers across segments are getting aspirational and are demanding new features. As a result, they are willing to pay for new technologies as long as they’re assured of the value being offered. If any Arena model undergoes a generation change or any major change these features could be introduced in that model before all Nexa models.

We also asked Srivastava about the possibility of a sunroof in a Maruti Suzuki model and he did not turn down the possibility of the same. He mentioned that the company will continue to look at features demanded by consumers and balance them against the value they offer. As long as the balance is achieved, the company is open to providing new features while maintaining Maruti’s VFM offering along with the premium experience of the Nexa retail channel.
He concluded the conversation by informing us that the semiconductor shortage situation is improving continuously. As a result, the company is prepared to meet the demand in initial months and times to follow. This statement should come as a big relief to buyers as they hopefully will not have to wait for too long to get their new Baleno since the booking numbers already seem to be flying high!