[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by carwatcher

I also want to clarify which I couldn't in my previous post is that blank space near the grill could be filled up by reflectors like the Qualis but it would look al cheapo.
If I would buy that car, the first thing I would do is request the radium number plate guy to design yummy stickers for that space, something like Abarth logo.

One thing in your previous edit is, it masks an important design element of chrome strip extending seamlessly into the headlight chrome lines. These elements give some distinctiveness to the car. And shouldn't be ignored.
Good thing about photo shopping is nothing to lose

[carwatcher]

While the companies spend top dollars for perfect grill design, which can hugely impact the success of the car, for e.g. Merc famous Diamond cut grill, Creta's front grill to name a few, here we have Maruti which doesn't like to give required importance to this element even though its their first foray into Premium hatchback segment.
Parallel can be drawn with successful directors like Ramesh Sippy who didn't believe that music is an important element in film making while Raj Kapoor thought opposite.

[mukul32]

Boy, is that a BIG looking car from the outside!! I read the Autocar First Review (link) and in those real life pics, it looks like possibly one of the largest hatches yet on Indian roads. If it were any larger, Maruti would've been tempted to sell it as a 'Compact Premium SUV'

And I would say I actually like the small and rather well-shaped grille despite the patch that it creates between the headlights. A normal grille would've made the design very mundane and ordinary from the front.

What I don't like too much though, is the news of the 74 BHP MultiJet. Against the 90 BHP i20, and the 100 BHP Jazz, the 74 BHP figure looks a bit too modest, at least on paper. Autocar do say it feels really sprightly and eager, and in fact is faster to 100 than the i20, and I guess that should be more than enough for the public.
I guess, as they used the 89 BHP state of tune in the much more expensive Ciaz and S-Cross, that's what kept them from using the same in a 'lesser' car.

Anywas, by the looks of it, this car is sure to ruffle up the top 10 cars list in the fact that it seems a serious threat to Swift and Dzire sales. The Dzire sold more because of its practicality and less because of the 'sedan factor' anyway, and this Baleno only offers all of that in a fresher and prettier package.
Already as the Kwid looked set to bring down the Alto from the no.1 position, the Dzire looked like the new no.1 car. But now this Baleno will itself eat into the Dzire and Swift to bring their numbers down too in turn. So even if this Baleno settles at 6-7 eventually, it should generate a more even competiton at the top of the sales chart, and bring the top 3-4 cars closer to each other.

What I am slightly baffled about is, what does this mean to the Swift? The Swift has always been Maruti's premier large hatchback, and in fact has become a somewhat iconic and trusted brand, like the Honda City, Scorpio, Innova, etc. Now in front of the Baleno, the Swift suddenly starts looking smaller and older. Why are Maruti doing this to such a valuable brand?

Again, an all-new Swift is rumoured to be coming in 2017-18. And then what will happen to this Baleno then, which would be just 2-3 years old into the market?

[carwatcher]

Thanks for confirming my hunch.

Originally Posted by mukul32

Autocar do say it feels really sprightly and eager, and in fact is faster to 100 than the i20

Maruti has 'been there, done that' already. They have launched so many hatchbacks which are cannibalising their own sales but Maruti is actually appreciating it 'as long as the customer remains with their product.'
I don't think Maruti (or any manufacturer for that matter) will be bothered too much if the sales figures of say model A reduces to 8000 from 10000 after the launch of their own model B provided the combined sales figure of model A plus B is well above 10000 and either the sales figures of their competitors have reduced after the launch or the total sales of that segment is increased. For eg. Compact SUVs, Compact Sedans.
As far as my guess goes and we have already witnessed the success stories of i10, Grand i10 and i20, same would be repeated by Maruti with Baleno. Swift is fighting a lone battle successfully with Grand i10, i20, Polo and Jazz even though it belongs to a lower segment, Baleno will actually give a knock-out punch to the competition. Come to think of it, even if it doesn't eats away the single sales number of the competition, Maruti would be more than happy to earn more revenue from the same no. of cars sold. In the end, it would definitely end up making the total sales figures of B2 segment higher.

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by mukul32

Autocar do say it feels really sprightly and eager, and in fact is faster to 100 than the i20, and I guess that should be more than enough for the public.Now in front of the Baleno, the Swift suddenly starts looking smaller and older. Why are Maruti doing this to such a valuable brand?
Again, an all-new Swift is rumoured to be coming in 2017-18. And then what will happen to this Baleno then, which would be just 2-3 years old into the market?

For a premium hatchback, the Baleno's 890 kg is too less to term the 1.2 k series and the 75hp MJD slow. My old Swift 1.2 used to go till 90kph in 2nd gear and it was fun for sure. Same engine power with a 100kg lighter weight means a faster and more agile performance. My guess is that the Baleno would be faster than Jazz, i20, Punto etc.
Why so much talk about sales numbers? Baleno would do good, no concerns there. It would eat up at most 10-15% of Swift's and DZire's market, meaning about 4k units per month (different showrooms) but it's going to sell more than that for sure. Also, we should be grinning to have more options to choose from rather than questioning why would a manufacturer have multiple models in thinner price band.
However, I totally agree that it looks lonnng. Side profile looks yummy to me. If I could wait for 3 months before buying my Fiesta, I would have bought this car with no second thought. A Maruti that is light weight and looks to die for, black good quality interiors is not to be missed.

[Leoshashi]

Baleno's First drive report video shared by Overdrive- Pretty detailed review!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw3yUN2Kz2E

Regards,
Shashi

[adimicra]

It is certain that Baleno will cannibalize the sales of the Swift and Dzire but what about the S-cross? The Baleno has most of the features the S-cross has and then some additional ones like Carplay, has similar boot space and looks way better and will cost much less. I am not sure about the interior space but the Baleno seems roomy inside as well. Also, Baleno being so light can definitely match the S-cross 1.3 in performance. Now, we can argue that S-cross is a crossover and all but we know that in this price range, all sorts of cross shopping across segments do happen. S-cross is already looking like a market flop and the launch of the Baleno might kill it, particularly it being sold alongside in the same Nexa showroom.

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by adimicra

S-cross is already looking like a market flop and the launch of the Baleno might kill it, particularly it being sold alongside in the same Nexa showroom.

Spot on, adimicra. Baleno looks so good. If I was in market with low running, went to Nexa, Baleno being in petrol too, would buy it. Even if I wanted diesel only, Baleno would feel faster though with less power on paper, and more agile, definitely better for city use. The Baleno's silhouette is so sexy, even better looking than the old Baleno's. If you happen to buy one, with 195mm tyres, 16" wheels, projector headlamps, nice ICE and everything else, you don't need to do any modifications, unlike the S-Cross which would need a alloy swap job desperately, except that chrome strip on the boot that doesn't go with Baleno's otherwise classy exteriors.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by adimicra

It is certain that Baleno will cannibalize the sales of the Swift and Dzire but what about the S-cross?

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma

Spot on, adimicra. Baleno looks so good. If I was in market with low running, went to Nexa, Baleno being in petrol too, would buy it.

+1. Baleno will cannibalise the S-Cross to a good extent. However, thinking from another angle -

1. Baleno (if priced right) would make sure the NEXA concept doesn't bottom out taking the S-Cross along with it.
2. The number of NEXA showrooms would see a good percentage increase if the sales of the Baleno takes off. Now, that could also help the S-Cross in a way. It is currently managing those sales figures from only the major cities where the NEXA showrooms are established.
3. With the expenses on infrastructure shared with the more successful Baleno - Maruti could actually reduce the margins on the S-Cross. Discounts could do wonders for the 1.6 S-Cross.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by adimicra

It is certain that Baleno will cannibalize the sales of the Swift and Dzire but what about the S-cross? The Baleno has most of the features the S-cross has and then some additional ones like Carplay, has similar boot space and looks way better and will cost much less. I am not sure about the interior space but the Baleno seems roomy inside as well. Also, Baleno being so light can definitely match the S-cross 1.3 in performance. Now, we can argue that S-cross is a crossover and all but we know that in this price range, all sorts of cross shopping across segments do happen. S-cross is already looking like a market flop and the launch of the Baleno might kill it, particularly it being sold alongside in the same Nexa showroom.

Spot on!
I don't know about the killing S-cross part of it though.

It looks like Baleno is going to eat up Swift/Swift Dzire and S-cross, Jazz and even up to an extent Elite i20 as its victims(those looking for good handling petrol cars). Only thing is I am just praying that Maruti won't screw up like Honda did!

[itsashishsharma]

Originally Posted by WRXXX

Spot on!
I don't know about the killing S-cross part of it though.

It looks like Baleno is going to eat up Swift/Swift Dzire and S-cross, Jazz and even up to an extent Elite i20 as its victims(those looking for good handling petrol cars). Only thing is I am just praying that Maruti won't screw up like Honda did!

Somebody looking for good handling car won't even consider the elite i20, elite i20, Jazz, new Figo, Swift, DZire all are going to face heat from this one buddy. Though, the base variant can't be sold at Jazz/i20 base. Why? Simply because ABS and airbags are standard across all Baleno variants. All the variants are feature loaded. Delta, Zeta - all of them makes sense. This makes the Baleno an overall package. It's a Maruti too, so once bought, you can get it serviced at the Maruti service station closest to you, which is pretty close usually. Reliability is a big bonus too. Handling is not a high priority factor for people hunting a premium hatchback. i20's sales numbers tell the story.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by itsashishsharma

Somebody looking for good handling car won't even consider the elite i20, elite i20, Jazz, new Figo, Swift, DZire all are going to face heat from this one buddy.

Totally agree! Between Swift/Dzire and Baleno it will be sibling rivalry, which might be positive for Maruti. So, this is a postive heat as @CrazyDriver mentioned and might even do what Swift did to Maruti as a company to Nexa as a concept. I don't know about this for others, but my interaction with regular Maruti itself is pretty good and its that good will that makes me gravitate towards Maruti. Nexa if executed well is going to make that experience even better. Hope that doesn't come at extra cost because that is not what I am expecting.

I for sure know that good customer treatment need not come under "Nexa" name only.
If product is premium then there is no problem of charging premium, but just for the concept I might not be willing to shell out extra bucks!

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by WRXXX

Totally agree! Between Swift/Dzire and Baleno it will be sibling rivalry,

Sibling rivalry is bound to happen and each one has its customer base in terms of the its USP.

Where will you place the YBA - Vitara Brezza ? Will it not cannibalize the existing Maruti offerings.

What Maruti is looking for is with its portfolio complete (including YBA) it will draw customers from Elite, Jazz, EcoSport and Duster inducing the sedan market to retain its market share.

[adimicra]

Baleno is going to be a success for sure unless pricing shocker from Maruti. How big is the question! I think the key areas where it lacks behind the Jazz and I20 is the design. While it looks big and will have good road presence, I am not sure it looks as good as the I20 and the Jazz (particularly without those fancy headlights in the top end alpha variant). Sure, it has some interesting bits and pieces in the design but overall looks not-so-exciting and pretty bulky to me. The interiors design, plastic quality,parts also do not seem inviting enough particularly when compared to the Elite I20. And it's high time for Maruti to stop providing alloy wheels which do not look anything better than wheel covers. The Baleno has better alloy wheels than the S-cross but that's not saying much. Compared with the excellent diamond cut wheels on the Elite, the ones on the Baleno look very ordinary.All these are my opinion (subjective) looking at the pics and videos which might change once I get to see the car in person.

I think if Maruti-Suzuki had worked a little bit more on the design and provided better interiors, it would have shaken the segment and dethroned the Elite I20 from the numero uno position. As things stand now, Baleno is going to be a success for sure but is it going to be a blockbuster and take the #1 slot from he Elite I20? Time will tell!

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Sibling rivalry is bound to happen and each one has its customer base in terms of the its USP.

Where will you place the YBA - Vitara Brezza ? Will it not cannibalize the existing Maruti offerings.

What Maruti is looking for is with its portfolio complete (including YBA) it will draw customers from Elite, Jazz, EcoSport and Duster inducing the sedan market to retain its market share.

Definitely, I think that's exactly what seems to be the plan. Especially when one sees monthly sales figures Dzire and Swift sales are still high, Maruti is definitely aiming at ruling other segments which customers are putting their money into.

For me though, I am happy that there will be a good handling, reliable hatch with space and good looks soon in the market At least I didn't fall into the trap of putting my money into i20 and waited nearly 18 months ever since those YRAs in the airport cargo was leaked to see this finally in the media drives.