Maruti Baleno Spotted Testing In Pre-Facelift Form, Is The RS Returning?

The firm has taken out a pre-facelift model for testing

A pre-facelift unit of the Baleno has been spotted testing and it seems that Maruti Suzuki is cooking up something to ensure its hatchback stays on top of its class.

Although the Baleno is the segment leader, the country’s top automaker is wary of the fact that its prime rival Hyundai will shortly bring in the new Elite i20.

Also, the fact that Tata’s Altroz is doing consistent sales and has a Turbo variant incoming could have forced Maruti to work on its own premium hatchback.

Now, the Maruti Baleno spotted testing has all of its badges covered. It also seems to be riding on a new set of alloys that look similar to the ones that test mules of the car were spotted with about four years ago.

Since nothing is known about the car for now, the floor is open for speculations and three points come to mind immediately.

First is that Maruti could be testing the BS6 Baleno RS. Since Tata is bringing a Turbo Altroz to the table and Hyundai is also expected to bring in a turbo petrol, this seems more probable.

Second, Maruti could be testing a hybrid version of the Baleno. No, not the mild-hybrid tech, rather a proper hybrid with the possibility of electric-only driving range.

The firm reportedly has joined hands with Bosch to develop a 48V system and even a mule was spotted way back in July 2019. Or maybe Toyota has handed them its hybrid tech, we do not know.

Finally, it could well be having under its bonnet Maruti’s own 1.5-litre diesel engine. Although the firm has decried diesels of late, having an oil-burner in cars like the Ciaz, Vitara Brezza, Ertiga and XL6 makes a lot of sense.

Baleno might even get a slightly detuned version of the engine to further boost its sales. This would in turn help Toyota too what with its rebadging policy.

Anyway, all of these are speculations and we have to wait for official announcement to know what Maruti really is coming up with.