Spied: Maruti Suzuki considering Baleno petrol SHVS for 2017 launch in India
It's no secret that India's largest carmaker is prepping to launch all-new products here in India. However, what is relatively unknown is that Maruti Suzuki is also actively updating its successful range of existing small passenger vehicles. The highly popular Maruti Suzuki Baleno, in a few months, will be joined by an RS variant.
That's not all. The Baleno petrol with the SHVS technology has also been spotted testing in India. This engine, while is similar in capacity to the existing 1.2-litre rev-happy motor, will be the Dualjet version. The K-series engine is the base of this K12B motor and packs in dual injectors into one (hence the name). This technology claims to increase the performance as well as fuel efficiency.
Sources tell us this engine will require higher octane fuel and that's what is currently being tested. Interestingly, we have also come to know that this will be the first petrol Maruti in India to feature SHVS mild hybrid technology. Perhaps Maruti is preparing for the stringent upcoming BS-VI norms.
The new Maruti Baleno Dualjet is likely to get an updated interface on the inside. On the outside, it is likely that there will be a Dualjet badge, different alloys as well as rear disc brakes (evident from the images). Other features that are there in this model and may not make it to India are the park distance control and two extra airbags. We contacted Maruti but the carmaker said that they would not like to comment on future product launches at this moment.