Suzuki Australia confirmed the new Baleno will go on sale locally later this year. And now we get a taste of its sporty potential with the unveiling of the Baleno RS concept.
Suzuki unveiled the Baleno RS concept and a new Ignis concept at the Auto Expo event in India, giving us all a potential insight into the company’s future showroom.
Starting with the Baleno RS, this could be an interesting proposal for the sporty side of the small car segment. Unfortunately, it isn’t the hot hatch you might have hoped for. Instead, it’s mainly about sporty cosmetics. It comes with a 1.0-litre turbo BOOSTERJET three-cylinder engine. Output figures haven’t been mentioned, but in the standard Baleno in overseas markets it produces 82kW and 170Nm.
Where the RS concept stands out from the regular Baleno is with a range of sporty exterior trimmings, including a dark grey bodykit with skirting all around, matching front grille, blackened A-pillars, and a set of gunmetal alloy wheels.
As for the Ignis, this is basically an evolution of the iM-4 concept, however, it is closer to production and getting ready for market entry in India. It features similarly sporty highlights with plenty of dark trimmings, black alloys, and some underbody protection.
Suzuki is set to introduce production versions of both vehicles in India in the very near future. The Baleno, in regular non-RS form, will launch in Australia during the third quarter.
