After missing out on the action in recent times in the SUV space, Maruti Suzuki has bounced back in the segment. While it has already launched the all-new Brezza, it is all set to give a green signal to the sales of the all-new Grand Vitara midsize SUV. However, it seems that all is not over, and Maruti Suzuki is on an expansion spree with its third SUV offering, touted to be called Baleno Cross. A mystery compact coupe-like SUV was spied recently on the roads of North India in a heavily camouflaged form, and going by the stance, dimensions and the all-black theme of camouflage, it is the all-new Baleno Cross.
The upcoming coupe-like SUV from Maruti Suzuki spotted by ACI, which is codenamed YTB for the moment, is likely to be called Baleno Cross. By the looks of the camouflaged model spied on the test, it looks almost production ready. It is expected that this new Maruti Suzuki Baleno Cross might witness a global unveiling during the Auto Expo 2023, which is scheduled to take place in January 2023.
Going by its stance of it, the new Maruti Suzuki Baleno Cross will be a radical new SUV-coupe, much on the lines of the Futuro-e concept which was showcased by the carmaker back in Auto Expo 2020. While the test model was camouflaged heavily, some of the details of the SUV are visible, which might make their way into the production model.
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The new Baleno Cross will get a split headlamp design, with the theme for the daytime running LEDs and projector headlamps similar to those of the upcoming Grand Vitara. The new SUV-coupe also gets a wide-looking grille similar to that of the Grand Vitara. It also gets a rounded roofline, door-mounted rearview mirrors, slim roof rails and squared wheel arches, under which the new alloy wheels are believed to be diamond-cut units.
Will turbo-petrol engine make a comeback?
Since it is said to be based on the Baleno premium hatchback, the new Maruti Suzuki Baleno Cross will sit on Suzuki’s Heartect platform. However, unlike the other sub-four-meter compact SUV from Maruti Suzuki, the all-new Brezza, the sub-four-metre Baleno Cross will not get a 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine to save taxes. Instead, it might witness the comeback of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged Boosterjet petrol engine, which was briefly available in the now-defunct Baleno RS. This engine produced 100 PS of power and 150 Nm of torque in the Baleno RS, and in the Baleno Cross, these figures are expected to remain more or less the same.
The new Maruti Suzuki Baleno Cross will strengthen Maruti Suzuki’s presence in the sub-four-metre compact SUV space. While the Brezza continues to be sold through Arena outlets, this new SUV-coupe will be sold through the NEXA chain of outlets.
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The post Maruti Suzuki Baleno Cross SUV spotted testing in India: Launch timeline revealed first appeared on Cartoq.
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