Maruti Suzuki to produce the Baleno hatchback at its Gujarat factory in 2017
Maruti Suzuki chairman, R C Bhargava has said that the Baleno will be produced at the company's upcoming facility in Gujarat, from 2017. Currently, the Baleno is manufactured at the Manesar plant which combined with the Gurgaon plant has an annual production capacity of 1.5 million units. The new plant is set to begin operations from 2017, with a yearly capacity of 2.5 lakh units, and the company hopes to cater to the increasing demand of the car. This announcement will seem like music to the ears of probable customers who are currently looking at a six month waiting period.
The new Maruti Suzuki Baleno retails through the company's premium arm, Nexa. Although, there aren't as many Nexa dealerships as the standard showrooms, the Baleno has received over 1,00,00 bookings so far. We have tested and compared the car to its rivals and found the Baleno to have bettered the competition on many parameters. A fact, that's clearly visible in car's popularity. With the new facility set to cater to domestic as well as international demand , waiting times should reduce soon. Maruti Suzuki is also expected to launch the Baleno RS during the festive season this year. It will get the new BoosterJet petrol motor that develops 110PS. With a kerb weight that's lesser than the current Swift, we can imagine the kind of performance the new hot hatch will pack. Watch this space for a detailed road test of the Baleno RS.
Source: ETAuto