Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Maruti Says Premium Hatchbacks Will Grow Despite SUV Dominance
Maruti Suzuki says many people will continue buying premium hatchback cars in India.
SUVs are still the most popular type of vehicle.
However, hatchback sales have also been growing.
Maruti says the premium hatchback segment sold 2.5 lakh cars in the past five months.
The company’s Baleno is one of the leading cars in this segment.
Maruti has launched a new Baleno with a starting festive price of ₹6.09 lakh in Bengaluru.
The new car includes safety and comfort features such as Level 2 ADAS and ventilated seats.
The company believes premium hatchbacks will remain important even if SUVs take most of the market.
Maruti Suzuki expects premium hatchbacks to retain a significant share of India’s passenger-vehicle market as SUVs remain dominant.
The company launched an updated Baleno with festive prices starting at ₹6.09 lakh ex-showroom in Bengaluru.
Premium hatchbacks sold 2.5 lakh units in the past five months, out of nearly 4.4 lakh monthly industry sales.
The segment grew 17% compared with the pre-GST 2.0 period, while Maruti’s segment sales increased 28%.
The new Baleno adds Level 2 ADAS, ventilated front seats, and the Advanced Z12E powertrain.
- Who
- Maruti Suzuki India Ltd and its Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales, Partho Banerjee.
- What
- Maruti Suzuki said the premium hatchback segment is expected to keep growing and launched an updated Baleno.
- When
- The statement was published on September 5, 2026; the cited sales figures cover the previous five months.
- Where
- India, including the Baleno launch pricing reference for Bengaluru and production at Hansalpur, Gujarat.
- Why
- Maruti believes premium hatchbacks will retain substantial demand even as SUVs account for most passenger-vehicle sales.
- Baleno festive price
- Starts at ₹6.09 lakh, ex-showroom Bengaluru.
- Premium hatchback sales
- 2.5 lakh units over the past five months, according to the company.
- Overall sales comparison
- Premium hatchbacks accounted for 2.5 lakh units out of close to 4.4 lakh in cited monthly-run-rate industry sales.
- Segment growth
- Premium hatchback sales rose 17% compared with the pre-GST 2.0 period.
- Maruti segment growth
- Maruti Suzuki reported 28% growth in the premium hatchback segment.
- Future market estimate
- If passenger-vehicle sales reach 6.3 million units in FY31 and SUVs represent 60–65%, Maruti sees the remaining 35% as a large potential market for premium hatchbacks.
- Baleno features
- Level 2 ADAS, ventilated front seats, idle start-stop technology, and the Advanced Z12E powertrain.