India-bound Suzuki Baleno unveiled at 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show

Suzuki has unveiled the India-bound Baleno premium hatchback at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Codenamed the YRA, this hatchback will sit above the popular Swift model in the Suzuki hierarchy giving them entry into a new part of the global A+ segment.

This car is expected to be launched in India by the end of the year and will be retailed through the NEXA showrooms. Production of the car has already begun at Maruti Suzuki’s plant in Manesar and exports are expected to happen very soon.

The Baleno bears all the elements of the modern Suzuki design like V-shaped grille, sweptback projector headlamps and double slat black bumper with fog lamps. A view of the side profile reveals flared wheel arches and a rear-sloping roofline with blacked out pillars to give the impression of a floating roofline. The rear is typical Suzuki but with a more contemporary touch thanks to the split lamps, high bumper and chrome strip just below the rear glass.

The cabin of the Baleno has been fitted with a lot of the elements from the S-Cross crossover. We can see the same infotainment system, steering and control knobs, chrome elements for the vents and centre console. However, what appears to be new is the design for the climate control system which gets a digital screen and buttons to control its various functions. It is a large car; measuring in at 3995 meters the Baleno has a wheelbase of 2520 meters with a ground clearance of 120mm.

On the engine front, this car for European markets gets the 1.0-litre three-cylinder BoosterJet engine that produces 92bhp/170NM as well as the 1.2-litre four-cylinder DualJet which produces 88bhp/120Nm. A five-speed manual and CVT box are available for the 1.2-litre mill while the BoosterJet gets a five-speed manual and a six-speed AT in place of the CVT.

For markets like India, we expect Maruti Suzuki to offer the 1.3-litre MultiJet mill in the DDiS 200 engine output. In Europe the mild hybrid system is being offered with the 1.2-litre mill but in India we expect it to debut with the diesel engine as has been the case with the Ciaz.

The Baleno is expected to undercut the Hyundai Elite i20 (its chief rival) by a decent margin and will also compete in the Indian market with the Fiat Punto Evo, Nissan Micra, Honda Jazz and the Volkswagen Polo in the B+segment.