The premium hatchback segment has gotten competitive in the last few years. The premium hatchback segment has ranked third in terms of volumes with a cumulative sales of 42,724 unit sales in February 2021 as compared to 32,105 unit sales in the same period last year, thereby registering a 33 per cent growth in sales. The top-three strong selling products in this segment are – Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai i20, and the Tata Altroz.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

Maruti Suzuki’s premium product offering via the Nexa outlets, the Baleno takes the lead in the premium hatchback segment with 20,070 unit sales last month. Moreover, the company witnessed 21 per cent growth in sales for the Baleno as compared to 16,585 unit sales in February 2020.

The Baleno is powered by a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder engine that produces 82bhp at 6,000rpm and 113Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. The engine gets a five-speed manual transmission as standard and a CVT option. Maruti Suzuki also offers a Smart Hybrid option in the Baleno with a five-speed manual transmission. It has an integrated starter generator with lithium-ion and a lead-acid battery to offer a better driving experience. The Torque Assist function reduces the load on the engine and thereby offers better fuel efficiency.

Hyundai i20

Last year, Hyundai introduced the new-generation i20 in India. The premium product offering from Hyundai takes the second place with 9,001 unit sales in the country last year as compared to 8,766 unit sales in the same period in 2020, thereby registering a three per cent growth in sales.

The Hyundai i20 is offered with two BS6-compliant petrol and one diesel engine option. The 1.2-litre Kappa petrol engine produces 115Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. This engine is available in a five-speed manual and an IVT (Intelligent Variable Transmission) option. The manual variant generates 82bhp at 6,000rpm, while the IVT option produces 86bhp at 6,000rpm. The 1.0-litre Kappa Turbo GDi petrol engine produces 118bhp at 6,000 rpm and 172Nm of torque between 1,500 rpm to 4,000rpm. This engine is available in 7DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) and iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission) options. The 1.5-litre U2 CRDi diesel engine produces 99bhp at 4,000rpm and 240Nm of torque between 1,500 to 2,750rpm. The diesel engine comes mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

Tata Altroz

Tata Altroz emerges as the third bestseller in the premium hatchback segment with 6,832 unit sales in India last month. Interestingly, the sales for the Altroz have increased by 143 per cent last month as the company sold only 2,806 units of the Altroz in the same period last year.

The Tata Altroz is offered with two petrol engine options - 1.2-litre Revotron and 1.2-litre i-Turbo. The diesel guise gets a 1.5-litre unit. The regular 1.2-litre Revotron engine is capable of producing 85bhp at 6,000rpm and 113Nm of torque at 3,300rpm, while the 1.2-litre i-Turbo, three-cylinder petrol engine produces 107bhp at 5,500rpm and 140Nm of torque between 1,500 to 5,500rpm. The 1.5-litre diesel engine generates 89bhp at 4,000rpm and 200Nm of torque at 1,250rpm. All engine options offer a five-speed manual transmission as standard.