Maruti Suzuki has teased a new variant of the Baleno hatchback ahead of the Diwali festival in the Indian market. Reportedly, the teased model could be the high-performance turbo petrol variant though the teaser image doesn't drop any hints regarding what it could be actually. It is also being learnt that the company might introduce a 'Special Edition' or a CNG variant of Maruti Baleno in India. Recently, the new-gen 2020 Hyundai i20 was launched in the Indian market which is an arch rival of Maruti Baleno.
Maruti Suzuki used to retail a high-performance variant of the hatchback in the form of Baleno RS with a 1.0L turbocharged petrol engine but it was discontinued shortly due to low sales numbers. So, it will not be surprising if the company intends to bring it back to fend off against the recently launched i20's 1.0L turbo petrol variant. Though, a few reports indicate that Maruti might be welcoming a CNG variant of the hatchback as the company has a petrol only portfolio after the implementation of BS6 emission norms. It has been introducing CNG variants of several of its models at regular intervals in the country. And, last but not the least, the possibility of a 'Special Edition' model cannot be ruled out as well, given the festive season.
Maruti Baleno CNG, if at all introduced, will be powered by the same BS6 compliant 1.2L naturally aspirated petrol engine which will, more or less, have the same power output and torque performance as the standard petrol variants which stand at 88bhp and 113Nm. Speaking of Maruti Baleno RS, it used to draw power from a BS6 compliant 1.0L 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine which returned top power of 100bhp and peak torque of 150Nm. So, a similar setup can be expected if indeed it a high performance variant of the hatchback. However, in case of a special edition, it will be powered by the regular petrol engine with a handful of cosmetic enhancements and accessories.