Suzuki · 2015–present

Suzuki Baleno

The Suzuki Baleno (Japanese: スズキ・バレーノ, Hepburn: Suzuki Barēno) is a subcompact car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Suzuki in India and some other countries since September 2015 with a hatchback body style. Prior to this, the "Baleno" nameplate had been applied to the Cultus Crescent in numerous markets and also for sedan version of Aerio and SX4 in Indonesia. Unlike the previous generations of Baleno when it was offered as a sedan, wagon, or a 3-door hatchback, the model sold since 2015 is exclusively offered as a 5-door hatchback. Since June 2019, it is also marketed at Toyota dealerships in India as the Toyota Glanza, and since September 2020 in several African countries as the Toyota Starlet. The word "baleno" means "lightning" in Italian.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Suzuki Swift

All Suzuki Baleno data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

First generation (WB1; 2015)

The car was officially unveiled first to the public at the 66th IAA Frankfurt Motor Show on 15 September 2015. It was previewed by the iK-2 concept car that was first shown at the 85th Geneva Motor Show in March 2015. The Baleno is built on the new lightweight HEARTECT platform, shared with the smaller Swift and Ignis hatchbacks. Baleno is the first vehicle from Maruti Suzuki to be underpinned with the newly developed platform. It has a luggage volume of 320–355 litres (with or without spare tyre), which can be expanded to 756 litres when the rear seats folded. The total interior volume is 1085 litres (VDA method). The "Liquid Flow" design has drag coefficient of Cd=0.299, making Baleno the most streamlined production Suzuki to date. The car has ground clearance between 120 and 170 mm depending on the market to suit the road conditions. It is built on a powertrain range of K-series petrol engines: a new three-cylinder 1.0-litre Boosterjet turbocharged direct injection engine, a four-cylinder 1.25-litre Dualjet dual injector engine, which is also available with mild hybrid SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) technology. There is also 1.2-litre conventional petrol and mild hybrid engines mainly offered for Indian market and a 1.4-litre engine equipped for most regions outside Europe and India. A 1.25-litre Fiat-sourced turbo-diesel engine is also available exclusively for Indian market. Facelift. The facelifted Baleno was launched first in India on 28 January 2019. Suzuki redesigned the Baleno's exterior with remodelled front bumper with new grille design and new 16-inch alloy wheels design with dual-tone colour. The interior also upgraded with a dual-tone black-and-blue colour scheme. The interior noise and ride comfort are also improved. The facelifted model is not av

Second generation (WB2; 2022)

The second-generation Baleno hatchback was first released in India on 23 February 2022. It is continued to be assembled at Suzuki's plant in Ahmedabad and will be exported to Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America. Suzuki stated the hatchback was a full model change, with the marketing name "New Age Baleno", however it uses the previous model's underpinnings with major body shell revisions. The exterior received new body panels, headlights, LED fog lights, tail lights, smaller C-pillar windows, and wheels. For the interior, it comes with redesigned dashboard with a floating 9-inch LCD, gauge cluster, refreshed steering wheel, plus additional new features such as rear air conditioning vents, fast charging USB ports, head-up display, 360° view camera, Amazon Alexa voice assistant support, and improved NVH performance. The handling is also improved with all new suspension, new hydraulic clutch system and larger front disc brakes. Markets. ==== Asia ==== Maruti Suzuki launched the car in India on 23 February 2022 with the same four trim levels as previous generation; Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. It is also retained the same 1.2-litre K12N Dualjet petrol engine and 5-speed manual transmission, while the CVT option was replaced with the cheaper AMT unit. All trims come with 6 airbags as standard. The CNG powered model was launched in October 2022. For the 2023 model year, depending on the trim level, the hatchback was updated with new additional convenience and safety features as standard. Facelift. In September 2026, Maruti Suzuki launched the facelifted Baleno in India, starting at ₹6.10 lakh (ex-showroom). Alongside minor design revisions and updated interior safety features, the premium hatchback replaced its previous powertrain with the Swift-borrowed 1.2-litre, 3-

Motorsport

In 2016, a Baleno was modified by Suzuki Motorsport Italia to compete in "Rally di Roma Capitale" in Italy. The car is powered by a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine and modified to meet R1B class specifications. Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa modified a Baleno-based Starlet to participate in 2022 South African National Rally Championship and is competing in Class NRC1. The locally developed rally car is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which drives all four wheels via a sequential gearbox. The car driven by Guy Botterill and co-driver Simon Vacy-Lyle finished 2nd place in the championship standing, by winning 4 of 12 rounds.

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Specifications

name: Suzuki Baleno
Manufacturer: Suzuki
aka: Toyota Glanza (India, 2019–present), Toyota Starlet (Africa, 2020–present)
Production: September 2015 – present
Assembly: India: Manesar (Maruti Suzuki); Ahmedabad (Suzuki Motor Gujarat)
Class: Subcompact car (B)
Body style: 5-door hatchback
Layout: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Platform: HEARTECT B platform
Related: Suzuki Fronx, Suzuki Swift (third generation), Suzuki Dzire (third generation)
Predecessor: Suzuki Swift (Indonesia), Toyota Etios hatchback (Glanza/Starlet), Toyota Yaris (XP150) hatchback (Starlet, South Africa)