New Maruti Suzuki Baleno imagined as the RS Hot Hatch: Watch video

Maruti Suzuki Baleno shipments began shortly after the model was unveiled, and the all-new hatchback has already made its way to many Indian households in its short time on sale.

Image for representation

Maruti Suzuki marketed the Baleno RS, a performance variation of the normal Baleno, from 2017 and 2020, and while it wasn't as popular in our market as the Indo-Japanese carmaker had hoped, there was still a strong following for this model. 

As of now, there is no word on when or whether Maruti Suzuki would bring the Baleno RS back to India. However, digital artist Neel Merai has created a digital depiction of the vehicle based on the 2022 Baleno, which was unveiled last month.

In the digital representation, there is a reshaped front bumper with a broad air dam in the centre and horizontal air vents on either side, in addition to new fog lamps at the bottom of the bumper, a massive lip spoiler, and a piano black front grille are all visible from the front.

Observations have revealed new alloy wheels, which have low-profile tyres, and blacked-out logos on the nose. Additionally, the ORVMs and door handles are blacked out, a nice contrast against the white paint on the exterior of the car. 

In the Indian market, Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS was powered by a 1.0-litre, turbocharged, inline-3 petrol engine which made 100 PS of power and 150 Nm of torque, and was mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

If the revised Baleno RS had been introduced again to the India market, it would have been a direct competitor to the Hyundai i20 N-Line and Tata Altroz i-turbo.

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