Spied: Maruti Baleno Hybrid Spotted Testing - Video

India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki is currently working on getting its lineup of cars ready for the upcoming BS-VI emission norms that go into effect on April 1, 2020. One of the ways it is going about doing this is by using its Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki (SHVS) mild-hybrid technology. The latest car that seems set to benefit from the SHVS technology looks to be the Maruti Baleno premium hatchback seen in the video below.

Maruti recently launched the facelifted Baleno in India and it bought a few cosmetic changes like updated bumpers and new alloy wheels among others. The Baleno hybrid test car spotted in the video does seem to be the top-spec version of the premium hatchback from Maruti Suzuki. The only major visual change on the car seems to be the inclusion of the blue and silver 'Smart Hybrid Badge' on the boot of the Baleno.

There are no details about whether the mild-hybrid SHVS system from Maruti will arrive with the petrol or diesel engine. With Fiat set to pull the plug on its 1.3-litre diesel engine, there are chances that the Baleno could either ditch the oil burner altogether or move onto the carmaker's in-house 1.5-litre unit.

Spied: Maruti Baleno Hybrid Spotted Testing

The petrol engine, on the other hand, is expected to be retained. However, there does seem to be a slight complication regarding the petrol being the IC-component of the hybrid setup seen on the video, which is the fact that Maruti currently hasn't used its SVHS setup with the 1.2-litre engine before. The Baleno sold in the Netherlands does feature a 1,242cc engine with the smart hybrid tech on board, but using that powerplant would mean Maruti would miss out on the government tax cuts offered for engines under 1200cc.

It would seem that whichever way Maruti goes about implementing the addition of the hybrid powerplant in the Baleno, prices for the premium hatchback will increase when it does get updated for BS-VI.

Most Read Articles

English
Read more on: #spy pics #maruti suzuki
Article Published On: Saturday, April 6, 2019, 13:09 [IST]
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X