The Suzuki Baleno is getting another facelift.

    The light hatch – one of two Suzuki Australia offers, alongside the Swift – has been leaked ahead of its reveal.

    Pictures posted throughout Indian media, including on Autocar India, show the Baleno will get a slightly sleeker look.

    The front grille looks wider and flatter, the front bumper and headlights have been restyled, and the tail lights have been extended onto the tailgate.

    The Indian outlet reports the Baleno – built there by Maruti Suzuki and exported to markets like ours – will also get a new dashboard and steering wheel.

    There’ll be a larger touchscreen infotainment system which will reportedly include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

    The current car uses a 7.0-inch unit, though Suzuki Australia is fitting larger 9.0-inch units to much of its lineup locally so it can secure greater supply of cars.

    Under the bonnet, the updated Baleno will reportedly use carryover engines which in the Indian market includes a naturally-aspirated 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine.

    Australian-market Baleno models use a naturally-aspirated 1.4-litre petrol four producing 68kW of power and 130Nm of torque.

    It was previously available with an 82kW/160Nm turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder, however this was discontinued in 2019.

    It’s unclear if the Baleno will receive any active safety technology as part of its update.

    While the Swift offers autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control in all but its base trim, the Baleno doesn’t offer any of this tech in any variant.

    The Baleno was introduced in Australia in 2016, dusting off a nameplate last seen in 2001 on a small hatch, sedan and wagon designed to rival the Toyota Corolla.

    A 2019 Series II update brought some design tweaks to the front and rear, new wheel designs, plus LED headlights in the top-spec GLX.

    Previously outsold considerably by the slightly smaller Swift, the Baleno is now neck-and-neck with its fellow Suzuki in the sales race and has grown its sales every year since 2018.

    Suzuki has sold 3271 Balenos to the end of October 2021, against 3533 Swifts. However, like everything else in the light car segment, the Suzukis live in the shadow of the MG 3.

    The ageing Chinese hatchback has registered 11,584 sales this year, up 98.4 per cent year-to-date and outpacing the segment considerably.

    MORE: Everything Suzuki Baleno

    William Stopford

    William Stopford is an automotive journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. William is a Business/Journalism graduate from the Queensland University of Technology who loves to travel, briefly lived in the US, and has a particular interest in the American car industry.

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