India is one such country that is budget centric and has a very limited charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Thus there is very little scope to introduce full-fledged electric vehicles as a primary source of mobility. However, it seems Maruti Suzuki is planning to introduce a mild-hybrid powertrain on Baleno anytime soon in India.
A Maruti Baleno was recently spotted doing test runs at the ghats of Lonavala in Maharashtra. Images of the same have been leaked online. The images reveal that the four-wheeler was spotted with a strain gauge apparatus attached to all-four wheels. Furthermore, we can also see an exhaust in the images. This indicates that it might be an electric car.
Maruti intends to equip this upcoming variant of Baleno with two electric motors. We can further expect that these two electric motors could be installed onto the rear wheel hubs of the hatchback. As for the internal combustion engine, this hybrid variant will retain the one present in the regular Baleno.
In case the company wishes to introduce a strong hybrid, one set of wheels will be powered by the combustion engine, and the other set of wheels will be powered by an electric motor connected to a battery. But if Maruti introduces a mild-hybrid powertrain on the upcoming variant of Baleno, then there will be no electric motors on it. Instead, we can expect it to get an ISG or integrated starter generator that is charged using a 48v battery. Talking about the ISG, it helps the car’s combustion engine to deliver a smooth drive with more fuel efficiency.
Source: ShiftingGears
Read Also: Renault Kiger Spied With Sunroof Ahead of Launch