Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL), the country’s largest passenger carmaker, on Friday marked its entry into a high-performance segment with the Baleno Road Sport (RS) at a launch (introductory) price of ₹8.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
The Baleno RS brings to India Suzuki’s latest innovation – one-litre ‘Boosterjet’ direct injection turbo charged engine - which will deliver 20 per cent more power and 30 per cent more torque than a 1.2-litre petrol engine, the company said.
Boosterjet is a combination of two technologies — direct injection system and a turbo charger — for better acceleration and performance with the all-aluminium, three-cylinder, one-litre engine.
“At the same time, torque is over a wide range of RPM and is 30 per cent higher than a conventional 1.2 litre petrol engine. Baleno RS is for the performance enthusiasts who seek more power, throttle response and excitement in their day-to-day driving,” said Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
The latest car from the company will offer a smooth and peppy ride across all driving conditions -- torque available for a wide range of RPM (150 Nm @1700-4500 RPM) – which means, the driver can drive effortlessly without frequent change of gears, he said.
Baleno RS is launched in a single variant (Alpha) and complies with advanced safety norms including pedestrian safety, side and frontal offset impact, ahead of regulation timelines, MSIL said.
It also has Isofix child-seat restrain anchorages in addition to dual airbags, seatbelts with pre-tensioners and force limiters. Disc brakes in all wheels, coupled with ABS and EBD enhance safety. Driver seat belt reminder buzzer with lamp and rear parking sensors with camera are among the other safety features in Baleno RS, it said.
The company expects to sell more of the Baleno brand with this latest model. MSIL sells around 9,000-10,000 units of Baleno every month from its Nexa outlets.