Sixty percent of the bookings for the second-generation Maruti Baleno hatchback, launched a month have been for the six-airbag variants with buyers opting for the higher-spec Zeta and Alpha trims. All of these trims are equipped with dual front, side as well as curtain airbags, taking the total airbag count to six.

The company has also crossed the 50,000-unit booking milestone for the new Baleno, just six weeks after pre-bookings began. At the launch day alone, Maruti indicated that it had bagged 25,000 orders for this premium hatchback that it sells via the Nexa channel.

As far as the booking profile goes, about 20 percent of customers have opted for the automatic AMT-equipped trims of the car.

The Baleno’s entry-level Sigma and Delta variants come with only two airbags as standard. The top two trims also get a rear-view camera with the more expensive Alpha also equipped with a segment-first 360-degree camera.

Launched with an overall investment of Rs 1,150 crore, inclusive of investments by suppliers, the new Baleno aims to  sell more per month than its predecessor’s average monthly sales of 15,000 units. This would give it a 25 percent market share among competing products like the Hyundai i20, Tata Altroz and Honda Jazz.

“We already have 60 percent segment share of the premium hatchback category with products like the Baleno, Swift and Ignis and with the new model, we target the remaining 40 percent,” Shashank Srivastava, senior executive director, Marketing and Sales, MSIL had told Autocar Professional in an earlier interview.

MSIL will also introduce a CNG option in the Baleno in the near future, to cater to consumer demand for an affordable fuel option amidst skyrocketing petrol prices.