Maruti Baleno Full Hybrid Variant Spied Testing in Broad Daylight

The year 2020 was quite dull for every carmaker in business in our country. Of course, it’s the pandemic that is to be blamed for much of this but then, the health crisis and the resultant slowdown hasn’t kept most car manufacturers from launching new models. Hyundai, for instance, brought in the new-gen Creta and even the latest avatar of the i20 in spite of the turbulent times. Maruti Suzuki, however, refrained from launching any all-new car during the last few months. Well, all of this is set to change as the country’s largest-selling carmaker looks all set to capitalize on the electrification trend by launching a host of full-electric and hybrid models. One such Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) could be the Maruti Baleno you see in the images that we’ve got here.  

While details of this project are scarce at the moment, there’s definitely a lot that’s brewing up at the R&D facilities of our country’s favourite car manufacturer. In fact, this isn’t the first time that the purported full hybrid version of the Maruti Baleno has been spotted testing out on public roads. The frequent sightings are a clear indicator of an imminent launch of the Maruti Baleno full hybrid variant.  

As can be seen in the images that we’ve got here, the test mule sports test equipment on each wheel. The interesting bit here, however, is that the test mule is a BSIV diesel model that is powered by the Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre Multijet unit. That said, we expect the production-spec Baleno hybrid to offer a 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol engine paired with a 10 kW electric motor. While the internal combustion engine will churn out 91PS-118Nm, the electric motor will provide an extra juice of 13.5PS-30Nm. Transmission duties will be likely handled by an AMT unit.

The Maruti Baleno Full Hybrid should even come equipped with a regenerative braking system that aids battery charging on the go. With ever-increasing fuel prices and the need to switch to greener mobility options, the Maruti Baleno hybrid could very well pave the way for other full-hybrid options in the mainstream car market.