Baleno-based compact SUV and Nexa model, which holds the title of being the fastest passenger vehicle in India to achieve 100,000 domestic market sales in just 10 months after launch, sells an additional 50,000 units in only four months.
07 Jun 2024 | 7862 Views | By Ajit Dalvi
The Maruti Fronx compact SUV, sold from the company’s premium Nexa model channel, continues to fire on all cylinders. The Baleno-based model has raced past the 150,000-unit wholesales mark in a scant 14 months after launch on April 24, 2023. Having sold 134,735 units in 12 months of FY2024, Maruti ...
This is an Autocar Pro Plus article. Subscribe to continue reading.
The Maruti Fronx compact SUV, sold from the company’s premium Nexa model channel, continues to fire on all cylinders. The Baleno-based model has raced past the 150,000-unit wholesales mark in a scant 14 months after launch on April 24, 2023. Having sold 134,735 units in 12 months of FY2024, Maruti Suzuki India dispatched 14,286 units of the Fronx in April 2024, taking the model’s total wholesales in 14 months since launch to 149,021 units.
This number is just 979 units shy of the 150,000 units mark at end-April, which would been surpassed in the first few days of May 2024, considering the Fronx is averaging daily sales of over 475 units.
In fact, the Fronx was the best-selling Nexa model in April 2024, ahead of its donor model, the Baleno which sold 14,049 units. In May 2024, Maruti Suzuki sold a total of 54,204 utility vehicles, up 17% YoY, which helped buffer the decline in hatchback and sedan sales and the Fronx clearly will be one of the top sales performers.
Powering premium Nexa sales
In FY2024, with 134,735 units, the Fronx was the second highest-selling Nexa model in Maruti Suzuki’s premium Nexa channel after the Baleno (195,607 units). That the Baleno-based Fronx would be a high seller was expected because in January 2024, barely 10 months after launch, it zipped past the 100,000 sales milestone to become the fastest passenger vehicle in India to do so. Now, the accelerated run from 100,001 units to 150,000 units – 50,000 units – has taken a little over four months, indicating just how rapid the pace of customer demand continues to be for this youngest Nexa model.
Notably, the Fronx’s sterling sales performance should be viewed in the contest of the highly competitive compact SUV market that it is part of. This segment includes popular models like the Tata Nexon, Tata Punch, Maruti Brezza, Hyundai Venue and Exter, Mahindra XUV300, the recently launched XUV 3XO and the Kia Sonet.
Stylish and practical coupé-crossover with petrol and CNG power
The good-looking Fronx coupe-crossover has a strong road presence, what with it being based on the snazzy Baleno hatchback and sporting frontal design elements like the upright nose and split headlamp that look similar to the Grand Vitara midsize SUV.
While the 17-inch multi-spoke alloys are unique to Fronx, Baleno-like features include the rising waistline with a prominent hunch over the rear wheels, and the sloping roofline. Dimension-wise too, the Fronx is Baleno-like: length at 3995mm, height at 1550mm and width at 1765mm.
The Maruti Fronx is powered by an efficient 1.2 petrol which produces 90hp and 113 Nm torque, and a 1.0 turbo-petrol. The Boosterjet turbo-petrol engine, which develops 100hp and 147Nm, is paired to either a five-speed manual or a six-speed torque converter automatic.
The Fronx is sold in five trims – Sigma, Delta, Delta+, Zeta and Alpha – and 12 variants with eight manual and three auto transmission options. Pricing starts at Rs 894,000 (on-road Delhi) for the base Sigma variant and goes upwards to the top-end Alpha Turbo AT variant, which costs Rs 15.67 lakh (on-road Delhi).
Fronx helps power Maruti exports
As in the domestic market, the Fronx is also a key contributor to exports. Maruti Suzuki’s best-ever exports of 280,712 units in FY2024, which saw it retain the title of India’s top passenger vehicle exporter for the third straight fiscal, saw over 11,000 units of the Fronx being shipped overseas in nine months.
It was on July 6, 2023 that Maruti Suzuki kicked off exports of the Fronx with a first batch of 556 units to Latin America, the Middle East, and South-East Asian markets.
ALSO READ:
Debate should be on strong hybrids vs ICEs, not hybrids vs EVs: Maruti Suzuki's Rahul Bharti