Made-in-India Baleno goes on sale in Europe

After being officially launched in Japan last month, Suzuki Motor Corporation’s made-in-India Baleno has reached European shores with sales kicking off in Germany and Belgium.

Priced from 13,790 to 19,490 euros (Rs 10.44 lakh-Rs 14.75 lakh) in Germany and 12,899 to 20,599 euros (Rs 9.76 lakh-Rs 15.57 lakh) in Belgium, the Baleno will go head on with more established rivals like the Ford Fiesta, Skoda Fabia and Volkswagen Polo in the hatchback segment. 

The hatchback is available in five variants with two petrol engines – a 1.0-litre Boosterjet and a 1.2-litre DualJet. The 998cc Boosterjet engine, which is all set to debut on the Baleno RS in India later this year, develops a useful 111hp, while the new 1,242cc DualJet, a dual-injection engine, develops 90hp. The 1.2-litre engine also comes with an optional SHVS variant.

The Baleno for Europe also gets Suzuki’s SHVS mild hybrid system which uses an Integrated Starter Generator (known as ISG) to assist the engine during vehicle launching and accelerating and to generate electricity through regenerative braking. In the Baleno, the SHVS system helps deliver a CO2 level of 94g/km with combined fuel consumption of 4 litres per 100km. SHVS adds 6.2kg to the car’s overall weight. 

On the export model Baleno, there are three transmission options on offer – a 5-speed manual, 6-speed automatic and a CVT gearbox. The India-spec Baleno is sold with the manual and CVT gearbox options only.

Autocar Professional had first reported in February that Maruti Suzuki had started exports to six countries in Europe – Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland and Denmark. Following launches in Germany and Belgium, the other countries in the Eurozone are likely to follow suit soon. 

The Baleno, which is a global Suzuki model solely manufactured in India, has already a provided a fillip to Maruti Suzuki India’s export numbers. In February, the hatchback became the company’s most exported car. With shipments of nearly 3,400 units in the month, the Baleno outdid its siblings, the Alto (1,645 units) and the Swift (1,425 units) in February, the two other most exported cars from the company’s stable.

Now with sales in other European markets also set to start soon, the carmaker is likely to meet its initial export target of 5,000-6,000 units a month.